Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Expensive_Breath2774 t1_jdsaf6o wrote

College in student in center city. My college is offering everyone one water bottler for free.

The single bottle really cracked me up

129

Plus_Antelope_8476 t1_jds18l3 wrote

Lack of bottle water, it is sold out in one hour

86

Level-Adventurous t1_jds34im wrote

Acme on Oregon sold out while I was there, 45minutes after the advisory was issued. They had pallets outside putting them in everyone’s cart as they walked in and a line around the building.

22

Killself98 t1_jdsvr0x wrote

can we idk move the industrial sites that make this stuff away from the fucking rivers where we get drinking water?

51

Fried_Fart t1_jdtn6tz wrote

Ah but you see the shareholders wouldn’t like that

Now get in line for Nestle bottled water, you filth

🤡

32

SammieCat50 t1_jdvapde wrote

Maybe the contamination would make Dasani water taste better? I’d die of thirst before I would ever take another sip of that crap

4

just_an_ordinary_guy t1_jdu2ztx wrote

As great as it sounds, it's pretty much impossible. A lot of chemicals are moved by ship/barge, so being along the river is pretty much a must. If you introduce pipelines or more trucking, that's just more risk for spills. On top of that, moving them would be prohibitively expensive and would probably result in a relatively unspoiled area getting destroyed to place the new location. The better way is to a) reduce they need for whatever chemicals and along with that better regulate their handling and enforcement to go with that.

9

One_Hall_8290 t1_jds3rtg wrote

I can't find any information on the suburbs. Is there any risk in Bensalem? It literally borders Philadelphia, and the spill itself was in Bucks County.

38

beanasaur_ t1_jdsa6ur wrote

The spill affects the Baxter Treatment Plant. If Bensalem gets their water there, than yes.

28

WitchSlap t1_jdt49x1 wrote

The water companies have thus far said Bensalem is safe.

Grocery stores are out of water regardless

13

mjh215 t1_jdt91so wrote

https://www.aquawater.com/delaware-river.php

I believe Bensalem gets theirs from Bristol Township which is up river from the spill, and was shut off just in case anyway. Sounds like Aqua is getting the water from further North in Bucks for right now.

6

HistoricalChicken t1_jduvdu7 wrote

According to Aqua PA there was only 1 plant effected and they shut it down immediately upon hearing of the spill. The rest of their intakes are all up river from the spill, meaning the surrounding area’s water supply is safe. Regardless, they are testing constantly.

5

Key_Text_169 t1_jdt58ex wrote

Deregulation and small government.

25

Matt-33-205 t1_jdtnvhx wrote

Decades ago, there were rivers in the United States that used to catch on fire regularly due to pollution. We have come a long way.

9

Key_Text_169 t1_jdtptxf wrote

This is true but now we making a u turn.

14

ProfessorDerp22 t1_jdtsba3 wrote

And you think deregulation is the answer?

4

OccasionallyImmortal t1_jdtu2dr wrote

Deregulation can work IF companies aren't shielded from the costs of their mistakes. Anyone responsible for something like this should be made to bear the full cost of the cleanup and need to purchase bottled water.

Public utilities and private companies granted exemptions are immune to the consequences of their actions. No one should be.

−11

noire_nipples t1_jdu7aqy wrote

My brother in christ, forcing companies to clean up their mess or pay is regulation.

16

OccasionallyImmortal t1_jdu7roy wrote

We could define it that broadly. However, compensation for damages and even criminal charges are what we do for everything. They aren't laws specific to an industry, which is the way we normally think of regulation. If this were ordinary regulation, we'd already be forcing companies/governments to do this. No one will compensate Philadelphians for the cost of their bottled water. No one will face charges. They probably should.

−3

noire_nipples t1_jdv62q5 wrote

While I agree these people should face charges and compensate Philadelphians, I fundamentally disagree that any form of legislation that would encompass that could be do broad as to cover more than one industry without either being unenforceable due to it applying to literally everyone, or ineffective because it's too broad as to verifiably argue for anyone to follow it.

2

Electr_O_Purist t1_jdvum4t wrote

Being shielded from the costs of mistakes is deregulation. Regulation prevents “mistakes” (negligence) and holds accountable those who violate the terms. Basic stuff, really.

3

eMPereb t1_jdteg1p wrote

Pffft! But how are they going to make any money🤷🏻‍♂️

8

SkiG13 t1_jdslbjm wrote

Meanwhile in Pittsburgh…

21

jetsetninjacat t1_jdt2xr5 wrote

Listen here jagoff. My water comes from the pure and clean waters of the Mon...

29

RogueA t1_jdx4359 wrote

Little bit of mud ain't killed anyone. Please ignore the multiple USX plants directly alongside the river.

1

just_an_ordinary_guy t1_jdu35xj wrote

Eh, our water is about average for the moment, no current chemical spills I'm aware of.

2

art-man_2018 t1_jds1zr1 wrote

So... is West Philly safe?

18

misteryham OP t1_jds2uo7 wrote

West Philly appears to be safe. Their water doesn’t come from the Delaware https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/2c870b2f75684e57a0efde493444f7db

38

ell0bo t1_jdsl5lq wrote

Also manayunk and Roxborough look fine. Thought east falls would be too, but apparently they are tied into Baxter

11

TomBonner1 t1_jdta2qo wrote

Side note: this map is made using GIS! This is the kind of work I do, making web based maps like this.

7

cringelien t1_jdslstp wrote

any info for the suburbs? how do we know who water is from

12

EmergencySundae t1_jdst6dg wrote

My township’s water authority has a notice right on the front page saying that we aren’t impacted.

9

Mjr334 t1_jdt1wac wrote

Check the utility company/municipal supplier. I have Aqua and they have a notice on their website saying they are not effected

6

ThankMrBernke t1_jdto5t6 wrote

I googled "[town name] water source" and was able to figure out where it came from in about 10 minutes (ours comes from Neshaminy Creek, which is upriver from the spill). But there's no database or anything that I'm aware of.

4

HistoricalChicken t1_jduvjrk wrote

According to Aqua PA there was only 1 plant effected and they shut it down immediately upon hearing of the spill. The rest of their intakes are all up river from the spill, meaning the surrounding area’s water supply is safe. Regardless, they are testing constantly.

3

Scared_Mirror5967 t1_jdtewyi wrote

Is this associated with the chlorine smell on air over last few days? Thought that was from an meteorological inversion, but maybe not?

10

saquonbrady t1_jdsl90d wrote

Please give a visitor some advice about the chemical spill.

Hi,

I was supposed to go to Philadelphia for a work assignment next week. I am just a little apprehensive now, because of the chemical spill news. Is it a bad time to go? Can I still shower at the hotel? Maybe I’m being over reactionary, but I just wanted this subs opinion on whether I should try to beg my work to reschedule this assignment or not? You words would means a lot to me! Thank you

9

[deleted] t1_jdspx05 wrote

Shower, yes. Drinking should be fine by next week. But that's a guess. Pay attention to warnings being issued.

14

ThankMrBernke t1_jdtnsrf wrote

You're fine. As of right now, the Philadelphia Water Department and the other authorities are saying the water is safe to drink, but they are monitoring the situation. So far the response from the authorities seems to be appropriate IMO.

To put in context, the spill was about 8,000 gallons (about the size of a large fuel truck) into the Delaware River, which discharges 100,000 gallons a second. However, the spill was not very far up the river from a treatment plant that serves a large portion of the city. They're monitoring the situation, as they should be in a case like this, but the guidance right now is that water is safe to drink but people should stay alert for further developments.

You're definitely fine to shower. If the situation develops and you shouldn't drink the water, your hotel will provide bottled water.

5

saquonbrady t1_je0ni13 wrote

Have you heard any updates on this?

1

ThankMrBernke t1_je0nudo wrote

They keep the twitter page in the link updated. PWD reports the wate is safe to drink currently

1

saquonbrady t1_je0oj9e wrote

I read that but I’m worried how this may affect the future by next week

1

ThankMrBernke t1_je0zn7c wrote

You will be fine. 100,000 gallons of water move through the Delaware every second. The spill was 8,000 gallons. The concern was that the spill, while small in comparison to the river, could be in high enough concentration that some water could enter a treatment plan a few miles downstream of where the spill was. I am not a hydrologist or something, but I'd bet money on the river washing any final traces of the spill away from the area near the intake valves (which they are constantly monitoring with extra diligence and testing because of the spill - and they haven't had cause for concern yet) .

Honestly the story here is how the city officials fucked things up and got everybody panicked and told them to buy bottled water, than retracted that statement 2 hours later. Ever since then, they've said consistently that the water is safe. But by then the fear had spread and people were scared the government was telling the truth or not, if they heard the new news at all. Tbh, I think somebody jumped the gun on sending out the warning.

1

rcher87 t1_jdtibcb wrote

My very real feeing is that if the water isn’t fully safe by next week we’ll hear MUCH more about this in the coming days/week.

And also the whole region will run out of bottled water (lol? Kind of?)

So while showering sounds like it’s fine now (and technically they’re saying ingestion “shouldn’t cause any short term issues”, so technically we could drink the water now if we wanted to), if there’s any hint of any issues for more than another day or so I expect a full uprising - think about the restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels whose businesses are on the line. Not even just residents, everyone will be throwing a FIT.

(The spill doesn’t impact the majority of the city but the affected plant does serve Center City and South Philly, and a few other neighborhoods it seems - again, some wealthy places with wealthy businesses.)

4

saquonbrady t1_jdtllo5 wrote

Interesting. I’m apprehensive at the moment. Hopefully we get an update by Wednesday cause I’ll be in Chicago via la and I’m looking to just hop over to Philly without coming back to la

3

rcher87 t1_jdv5rjg wrote

I’m apprehensive too, and I’ll be in South Philly all week (cause I live here lol), so they’d better frickin update me before Wednesday!!

3

saquonbrady t1_je0n9dd wrote

Have you heard any updates about this yet?

2

rcher87 t1_je0uxqt wrote

r/Philadelphia has a great mega-thread with continuous updates, I encourage you to check it out!!!

As for where things stand right now:

  • Water is safe to drink and use until at least Wednesday night at 11:59pm
  • They’ll keep testing and updating us regularly, any threat/concern should pass within a week (not sure if this meant a week from the spill AKA Friday or a week from when I read that AKA next Monday)
  • Really, the water is fine. Especially for showering, cleaning, dishes, etc. Even if they find the chemicals, the water is fine for those purposes.
1

mjh215 t1_jdta2s9 wrote

From what I've gathered (I live near it), the spill, while not good, is not really a toxic material, some latex coating and the amount wasn't that much. Like one train car's worth. I seriously doubt it'll be an issue. I hate to say it but considering how scummy people are, 8,000 gallons of paints and such are probably dumped in that river normally as it is 1 gallon at a time by people pouring stuff out when they are done DIY projects. Watch the news tomorrow, if anything big is actually happening you'll hear about it, otherwise, continue with your trip plans.

2

PM_ME_DIRTY_DANGLES t1_jdv3zon wrote

It's in the article, but just in case anyone wants a TL;DR of the responsible parties:

Altuglas, a subsidiary of Trinseo PLC

CEO Frank Bozich

6

misteryham OP t1_jdvf1f7 wrote

THANK YOU. Why are we not talking about this company at all? Why is the entire conversation around marginally not great communication from a department that’s actually been doing a fine job keeping us safe (with some hiccups, but the water is still fine so far)

4

flaaaacid t1_jdvgh5n wrote

I guess nobody really cares that Trinseo potentially poisoned the 6th largest city in the country as their stock is only down 1.5% so far today.

3

PM_ME_DIRTY_DANGLES t1_jdvoubr wrote

We need to keep naming and shaming the companies AND (mostly importantly) the executives who are actively destroying our future

1

eltruteht t1_jdso6vu wrote

Too bad there’s no way to test water

4

Revolutionary-Swim28 t1_jdufjdb wrote

I’m on the other side of the state, should I worry?

2

Chuckgofer t1_jdunxhg wrote

I'd be more worried about the Ohio spill than this one, if you mean like, Pittsburgh

3

Otherwise_Comfort_95 t1_jdvklx3 wrote

the city should suspend their soda tax for 2 weeks. Soda is healthier than water right now

1

Loot_my_body t1_jdwd5wb wrote

This is why I sell water filtration systems in Pa, NJ, and OH. Water is terrible everywhere.

−1

BrainWav t1_jdtv203 wrote

I mean, no one in their right mind drinks straight Philly tap water anyway.

−7

Melissajoanshart t1_jdtxolg wrote

Philly has a world famous water works. We’re one of the first. Besides the corporate pigs poisoning our wells our tap water system is great even with wooden logs as pipes. You obviously haven’t enjoyed philly tap in your life.

9

BrainWav t1_jdtxuuz wrote

No, no I haven't. When I was in college, drinking the tap water made me feel sick. Filtering it through a Brita helped, but it still had a funky taste. When I visit family in Manayunk or get water at any restaurant, it has that same funky taste, and that's through a filter as well.

−5

internetonsetadd t1_jduu10n wrote

Water in Wynnefield Heights, Somerton, Rhawnhurst, and Bustleton all tasted like worms cooking on pavement to me. Grew up on it, hated it. I split time between the city and suburbs, which is probably why I noticed the nasty taste. I trust the water from a quality standpoint, but the flavor was ass all over.

2

WoodsAreHome t1_jdsxtxe wrote

And the government is worried about TicTok. This place is completely fucked.

−19

Ct-5736-Bladez t1_jdt206j wrote

Governments are allowed to be concerned about more than one thing at a time. But yeah this should definitely be up there in main concerns along with the east Pakistan Ohio disaster.

18

Ham_Ahoy t1_jdsx0yz wrote

That's Delaware for ya, always spilling chemicals everywhere to make other states unsafe. Bunch of criminals that stole our precious Pennsylvania beachfront property

−20

EggplantOrphan t1_jdt81b1 wrote

That's no way to talk to the FIRST state!

−3

Ham_Ahoy t1_jdt8wu8 wrote

State that stole it's land from the Pennamites! I've been at war with the Delaware rebels for centuries! Don't you dare tell your lawful rulers another word, Pennsylvania peninsula man!

2