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News Release 14-018 - Video

Environmental engineers study West Virginia chemical spill

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On Jan. 9, 2014, crude 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) leaked from a storage tank near Charleston, W.Va., and bled into a river upstream of a water-treatment plant. As a result, about 15 percent of the state's residents were advised not to use the water. To better understand MCHM's fundamental chemical and physical properties and the plumbing and water-treatment systems surrounding the area, the National Science Foundation awarded Rapid Response Research grants to research teams at three universities.

Credit: NSF

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