Water Declared Safe By Philadelphia Officials After Friday Spill

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's tap water is fully safe to drink and cook with from here on out after a latex spill last week in the Delaware River, officials said Tuesday evening.

Officials Monday said water would be safe through at least 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

But Tuesday evening they updated guidance, saying the water is now safe to drink outright.

According to officials, models have shown that the potential threat from the spill along a tributary of the Delaware River in Bristol is passing.

Additionally, testing done Tuesday and the flow of the diver led officials to declare the water safe.

More than 100 additional samples taken by the Philadelphia Water Department, regional water utilities, the U.S. Coast Guard, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the EPA found no detectable levels of chemicals associated with the spill, officials said Tuesday evening.

"With this data showing no threat to public health, the City is ending the ongoing advisories about monitoring at the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant," officials said in a news release. "Philadelphia’s drinking water remains safe to drink and use. No contaminants have been found in PWD’s water system at any point since the spill."

Officials are monitoring the Delaware River and the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant for spill-related material.

The city had closed intakes to the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant as a precaution after the spill just before midnight Friday but was forced to open them overnight to ensure sufficient water supplies.

The "latex emulsion product" was released from an Altuglas manufacturing facility Friday, shortly before midnight, into Otter Creek in Bristol due to an apparent equipment failure, according to its parent company, Trinseo PLC.

Trinseo estimated 8,100 gallons of the solution — about 50 percent water and the remainder latex polymer — was spilled.

The latex emulsion is a white liquid used in various consumer goods, the company said. Altuglas and regulatory agencies were testing water samples in the surrounding area to confirm the material was not a threat to people or wildlife.

“We are conducting a thorough assessment of all of our systems and processes to identify and address potential vulnerabilities and will take the steps necessary to close any gaps,” Trinseo CEO Frank Bozich said in a news release Sunday. “The release of material has been stopped and our efforts are now focused on testing the local waterways.”

The Bristol facility manufactures acrylic resins for Trinseo’s Engineered Materials business. The plant employs about 110 people.

The incident is being investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Coast Guard advised residents to stay away from the area during the cleanup.

To stay informed, residents are encouraged to sign up for ReadyPhiladelphia notifications by texting READYPHILA to 888-777 for free phone alerts, or customize free text and email alerts on the Office of Emergency Management’s website here.