Friday, May 22, 2015

ACID SPILL IN HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS




MAY 21, 2015

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS

County and state authorities were able to contain a chemical spill at the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 75 in Huntsville on Wednesday morning.

Huntsville Emergency Management Coordinator John Waldo said the Walker County Hazmat Team was able to neutralize the acid-based substance by about 11 a.m. Authorities are unsure how the spill occurred, which forced the roadway in front of McCoy's Building Supply to be closed for a couple of hours.

"It must have fallen off a truck that was turning onto the on-ramp at Highway 19," Waldo said. "We got a call that there was a substance on the ground and that it was smoking. When we got there it was eating the asphalt.

"The Hazmat Team was able to neutralize the spill with a sodium-based powder off the truck."

The Texas Department of Transportation cleaned the spill and the area was cleared. The Huntsville Fire Department, Walker County Environmental Enforcement Office and the Walker County Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene.