Out of an abundance of caution, Giant Eagle is removing some of the spring water they sell from shelves temporally due to the spring being relatively close to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
In a release, the grocery chain says that all gallon size or greater Giant Eagle brand spring water is being removed for now. The water is sourced from a facility in Salineville, Ohio, about 25 miles away from the derailment site.
The products are sold at Giant Eagle, Market District and GetGo stores. Bottles of water smaller than a gallon are not sourced at the Salineville site.
In a statement Giant Eagle said, in part:
Giant Eagle has been in daily contact with representatives from the facility and has learned that the water used in these products comes from a protected spring located at a higher elevation than East Palestine and is not near ground water sources directly impacted by the incident. The Salineville facility also informed us that a third-party lab has been regularly testing Salineville's raw water sources and finished products and has not found any evidence that the water has been negatively impacted by the February 3 incident.
Giant Eagle will continue to evaluate the ongoing testing and possible impacts to the water in the area.
In addition to the removal of the water, Giant Eagle says they are offering assistance to employees that may live in the East Palestine area and have donated to regional food banks to help others impacted in the area.
