Freedom Industries, the company responsible for the chemical spill in West Virginia earlier this month that left more than 300,000 residents and many businesses without drinkable tap water, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the New York Times reports.
The spill of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry, originated from Freedom Industries’ water treatment plant on the Elk River in Charleston.
A second chemical called PPH was also in the leaking tank, Freedom Industries told federal and state investigators this week.
Authorities say it is now safe to drink the water, but the state’s Education Department has recommended that nine school districts continue using bottled water and bottled-water sales remain high, according to the New York Times. The state attorney general’s office is investigating reports of price-gouging related to water sales.