Thomas officials address report claiming city’s water is contaminated with chemicals

THOMAS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The City of Thomas held a council meeting Tuesday night where it discussed the ongoing discolored water as well as a recently circulated report that claims that the city’s water is contaminated with chemicals that could potentially cause cancer.

The post that was discussed during the meeting cites the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website, which claims that a water sample provided from Thomas’ system contained 16 contaminants and that nine of which had the potential effect of cancer.

Previous coverage

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Thomas officials address reports of discolored water; consider rate hike

Mayor Jody Flanagan emphasized that EWG is not a government regulatory agency and named them as a “lobbyist organization” and “illegitimate.” 12 News also researched EWG to learn more about the organization and found a study from George Mason University which reported that 79 percent of toxicologists say that the EWG overstates chemical risks.

In an interview with 12 News, Mayor Flanagan emphasized that there is no prediction as to when the water issues will be fixed and that it is highly dependent on rain. He also said that the city has responded to the issue by reaching out to Gov. Jim Justice, Sen. Capito, Sen. Manchin as well as the district’s State Senator Randy Smith.

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