VIENNA, W.Va. (AP) - A company has agreed to pay for the installation of carbon filters in Vienna's water treatment plant.
Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp says the installation paid for by Wilmington, Delaware-based Chemours Co. will begin immediately.
Rapp told the Parkersburg News and Sentinel the filters are temporary while construction begins on a permanent facility.
Chemours said in a statement that it expects the carbon filter treatment "will be operational in a matter of months, if not sooner."
Activated carbon filters removes traces of the chemical C8 from water supplies. They were installed at several local water service districts as part of a settlement of a 2001 lawsuit involving DuPont.
West Virginia officials issued a "Do Not Drink" advisory last week for Vienna water after the Environmental Protection Agency announced a new limit for the amount of the chemical C8 present in Wood County's drinking water. The advisory was issued after it was discovered that the C8 levels in the city's water source are slightly above the new limit.
The EPA established the health advisory levels at 70 parts per trillion of C8 in drinking water. That's significantly lower than the agency's prior advisory level based on short-term exposure of 400 parts per trillion.
C8 has been linked to cancer, thyroid disease and high blood pressure in pregnant women. The chemical was used until 2013 in the manufacture of Teflon at the DuPont Washington Works plant along the Ohio River. In 2015, DuPont spun off its performance chemicals division into Chemours.
The distribution of water from other areas to Vienna residents began Friday. The distribution of water bottles was scheduled to start Monday at the Vienna Utility Board garage.