Company in W.Va. spill cited in issues at 2nd site

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The company whose spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians has been cited for violations at a second facility where it's storing chemicals.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Aluise said inspectors found five violations Monday at a Nitro site where Freedom Industries moved its coal-cleaning chemicals after Thursday's spill. Inspectors found that, like the Charleston facility where the leak originated, the Nitro site lacked appropriate secondary containment. In Charleston, a porous containment wall allowed the chemical to ooze into the Elk River.

Aluise said Wednesday that the state might force Freedom to relocate the material again. The Nitro facility isn't near a river or water supply.

Other violations include failing to follow stormwater and groundwater guidelines, not filing monitoring reports and not properly storing drums with potential contaminants.

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