UPDATE: Drinking water from the James totally fine

DPU says they’ll keep pulling water from the James.

May 1, 2014; 7:13 AM • by Ross Catrow

Update #1 — May 1, 2014; 7:12 AM

The RTD has the scoop from Robert C. Steidel, director of the Department of Public Utilities, that Richmond’s drinking water will not be impacted by crude oil from yesterday’s train derailment.

“Our plan is to continue to use the water off the James River,” he said. “The James River is at flood stage right now. There’s a lot of water moving through the river, and we anticipate what isn’t caught upstream is going to move very quickly down the river and then move past the intake to the water plant.”

Richmond also will put absorbent booms on the river surface to capture any oil that approaches the intake canal to the city treatment plan, and also test the water downstream.

“We’re going to remove it all. … We’re not going to accept any oil,” Steidel said.

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Original — April 30, 2014

Mike Valerie from NBC12 reports:

LATEST: Richmond switching to H2O from Kanawha Canal system at Tuckahoe Creek, NOT drinking water from the James #breaking @NBC12— Mike Valerio (@MikeNBC12) April 30, 2014