Associated Press Published

Judge Again Postpones Trial in Elk River Chemical Spill

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A federal judge has again postponed the trial against the water company accused of insufficiently safeguarding West Virginia’s capital city from a chemical spill that polluted the drinking water of thousands of people in 2014.

According to court officials, U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver has moved jury selection from Friday to Monday.

Attorneys for Charleston-area residents and West Virginia American Water have been discussing a possible settlement.

Eastman Chemical, maker of the chemical, and plaintiffs’ lawyers reached a proposed settlement Thursday for undisclosed terms.

Settlements would apply to about 225,000 people and more than 7,000 businesses whose tap water was contaminated for several days. The chemical leaked from a storage tank of now bankrupt Freedom Industries into the Elk River in January 2014, upstream from the water system intake.