Crews Respond to Chemical Spill in Mon River
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1 September 2011
A Fayette County industrial water treatment plant spilled an unknown
quantity of an alcohol-based chemical into the Monongahela River
Wednesday night, killing several fish and shutting down river traffic
for a time, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
An emergency response team from the DEP, the county's hazardous
materials team and four fire departments responded to the Henwil
treatment plant in Newell, across the river from California Borough,
after the spill was reported at around 5:40 p.m, said DEP spokeswoman
Katy Gresh.
Ms. Gresh said the company told DEP offcials that the material was held
in a tank that apparently leaked, spilling into two containment areas
that overflowed. The material then entered the river, leaving a sheen
that hugged the riverbank about 700 yards long and 20 yards wide.
In total, the company said it lost about 2,000 gallons of the chemical,
but it's not clear how much of that escaped the containment pits and
went into the river. The company told DEP that the material was
"biodegradable but toxic to aquatic organisms," Ms. Gresh said, adding
that DEP was working to verify what was spilled into the river.
Officials found 20 dead fish after an initial inspection, but have
since reopened the river to traffic.