The Nation : Cincinnati Shuts River Valves as Oil Hits

The million-gallon oil spill floating down the Ohio River from the Pittsburgh, Pa., area reached Cincinnati, forcing closure of intake valves that draw water from the river for about 850,000 people. The intake valves were closed before the diesel fuel, dispersed and highly diluted since it first entered an Ohio River tributary near Pittsburgh, arrived in the Cincinnati area, according to officials of the Cincinnati Water Works. Water reserves were sufficient to allow customers in the city and surrounding Hamilton, Butler and Warren counties to use water for four to five days with no need to conserve water, said Dennis Davis, administrative supervisor for the water works. The oil slick, which developed after a tank collapsed Jan. 2, is about 50 miles long.