EAST PALESTINE — Norfolk Southern reported on Thursday that the “double-check” progress — also known as Appendix E in work plans — to verify all remaining contamination has been identified during the clean-up efforts following last year’s train derailment is now complete.

That process yielded numerous detections of derailment-related chemicals and led to additional remediation, the railroad said.

“Final Appendix E confirmation soil sampling is complete, and 13 areas of low-level exceedances identified during the Appendix E investigations to date have been removed and disposed of,” the railroad reported on nsmakingitright.com.

“Where exceedances of final cleanup standards were identified, those areas have undergone additional delineation to ensure derailment-related chemicals were fully identified. Once delineation is complete, the areas shall be excavated and the materials disposed of over the next few weeks.”

In October of 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that confirmatory soil sampling was underway as part of the soil characterization work plan to make sure “that the cleanup has been fully successful and that no contamination has spread due to response activities.”

In all, more than 2,500 samples were taken as part of this plan that was laid out in a 544-page document which divided the village into sections differentiated by the likelihood of contamination in those areas as a result of response efforts.

During updates to city council while the confirmatory sampling was taking place over the span of the year, the EPA said that the additional detections were proof that the “double check” was working as intended.

The response footprint continues to shrink as decommissioning of water holding areas is completed. According to Norfolk Southern, confirmation sampling identified one discrete area of low-level exceedance of cleanup standards in the frac tank farms. Where the two blue holding tanks stood on North Pleasant Drive, sampling identified three discrete areas of low-level exceedances of cleanup standards beneath the liner. Two of the three areas have been excavated, and the final area is anticipated to be completed within the next few weeks. After excavation is complete, the remaining secondary containment walls will be removed, and the area will be regraded and restored along with the frac tank farms.

No exceedances were detected in the smaller storage tanks area. Confirmation sampling has been completed and approved. This area will be graded and revegetated as part of the ongoing site restoration. Rainwater collected in the former tank containment has been approved for flow to Sulphur Run.

Further creek remediation and sheen evaluations are contingent on water levels, water conditions and weather. The railroad said “the community should anticipate additional remediation equipment and truck traffic on Taggart Street” and “grading and backfilling excavated areas, reconstructing ditches, and installing stormwater infrastructure.