Suit Filed Over Water Crisis

The Kanawha County Commission and city of Charleston have filed a lawsuit against several companies over the 2014 Elk River chemical spill. The lawsuit against West Virginia American Water, Eastman Chemical Company and others was filed last week in the Kanawha County Circuit Court. The lawsuit is seeking costs and expenses resulting from the activation of the Kanawha County Emergency Operations Center, among other things. Commissioner Dave Hardy says the county “has an obligation to the public to seek to recover all costs relating to the water crisis.” The spill in January 2014 spurred a tap-water ban for 300,000 people for days.