Well, unless that cloud of chemical smoke becomes rain elsewhere, stuff seeps into the water, etc. That said, I've had some time to peruse some of the sources here and at least the nearby water treatment plants claim to be doing more testing, so there's that.

I'd still be more than a little concerned if I were nearby, though. And it doesn't usually take a partisan boogeyman to talk about better safety and prospects of environmental damage.

Part of the problem with that is usually exactly what you say: it really is too easy to ignore and it really shouldn't be.