An official warning not to drink the water in Glendive, Montana came two days late following the release of 50,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River.
From the Associated Press
Representatives from Montana and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said preliminary tests did not show cause for concern but additional tests ordered after residents complained of a petroleum- or diesel-like smell from their tap water revealed the benzene. […]
An advisory against ingesting water from the city’s treatment plant was issued late Monday.
The oil spill occurred on Saturday and local residents continued to drink and cook with the water until last night because no warning had been issued.
Bottled water is now being shipped to the area while local officials devise a plan to “decontaminate the water system,” but who knows how long that could take?
Following the Freedom Industries chemical spill in West Virginia last year, strange odors left residents afraid to drink the water for weeks.