originally posted on November 19, 2016

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The West Virginia Public Service Commission has scheduled a formal evidentiary hearing as part of its investigation of a chemical spill that contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 people.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports (http://bit.ly/2eRdXAO ) the hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24-26 at the commission’s headquarters in Charleston. The commission also scheduled two hearings to take public comment on Jan. 17 at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The hearings are part of a general investigation of how West Virginia American Water Co. handled a water crisis stemming from a 2014 chemical spill at Freedom Industries. Specifically, commissioners want to know if the company’s actions constituted “unreasonable or inadequate practices, acts or services” as defined by state law.

The commission could order the company to fix any problems it finds.