12 January 2014

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As hundreds of thousands of residents (click here) faced a third day without water because of a chemical spill in a local river, a water company executive said Saturday that it could be days before it is safe for them to drink tap water again.

A state official also said thousands of gallons more of the chemical had leaked into the Elk River than was initially believed.

Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water, said that officials had set up four labs to test the amount of chemical in the water, but that it might take days to provide enough samples to determine whether the water was safe....