Firefighting overflow from East Palestine arriving in Sandusky County

FREMONT, Ohio (WTVG) - We’re looking closer at what material is leaving the crash site in East Palestine and ending up in Sandusky County.

That final destination is Vickery Environmental, a deep-well hazardous waste facility.

Sandusky County officials wanted to get in front of the rumors or the things people read on social media and let residents know they continue to be safe.

When firefighters attacked the huge East Palestine fire after the train derailment earlier this month, the water and foam runoff from those firefighters was collected.

“This overflow water has to go somewhere. Someone has to take it,” said Lisa Kuelling, director of Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency.

That “someone” taking this overflow is Vickery Environmental Inc. That’s a state permitted deepwell injection site.

Sandusky County officials told the public Tuesday that what’s coming there is measuring just about 98% water. The other 2% is part foam that firefighters use and maybe some chemicals.

“If there’s been any vinyl chloride actually in any of the ground or surface water that they’ve taken in at Vickery, then it’s actually been very minute,” said Kuelling.

Vickery Environmental is getting about three to four truckloads a day in 5,500 gallon tankers. Company officials have met repeatedly with the county letting them know what the plans are and what’s coming through.

No one is any danger, in fact, more hazardous material comes to this facility on other days but without the notoriety of this incident. Right now it’s mostly water, despite what anyone may have heard.

“We thought all the chemicals were coming to Sandusky county. That’s what we were hearing through the grapevine. We weren’t told directly. I think that’s where the misconception was coming into the county,” said Charles Schwochow, Sandusky County Commissioner.

County officials say they’ve worked with Vickery for decades and have not encountered major issues.

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