Dozens of fish in the Mulberry Fork died after a spill of about 900 gallons of material containing sulfuric acid from the American Proteins processing plant in Hanceville, Ala. on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Photos taken Aug. 19 by Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
By Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com
on August 20, 2016 at 2:23 PM, updated August 20, 2016 at 2:25 PM
A sulfuric acid spill into the Mulberry Fork this week appears to have been caused by an open valve in a containment tank, according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
Approximately 900 gallons of sulfuric acid mixed with stormwater was released into the Mulberry Fork Wednesday at the American Proteins chicken rendering plant in Hanceville.
ADEM spokesman Jerome Hand said the investigation is still ongoing, but they believe they know how the spill happened.
"The release occurred when a supply line from one of their outside storage tanks leaked into, basically a tank containment system, and that failed because it had an open valve," Hand said. "It's early in the investigation, and I hate to say it was a one-time thing, but we think we know the reason.
"It's still under investigation, that's just what we've found out so far. We'll continue to look into all aspects of the spill."
Hand said the release happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday and the department was notified by American Proteins at 5:51 p.m. He said ADEM contacted the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which was investigating the effects on wildlife.
"We were out there that night taking samples and we're still waiting for the results from the lab on those, so it's still under investigation," Hand said.
The Mulberry Fork and the Locust Fork converge to form the Black Warrior River at the Bankhead Reservoir.
Messages left by AL.com Friday at American Proteins were not returned. However, the plant's general manager Jason Spann told the Cullman Times newspaper that the spilled material contained about 150 gallons of sulfuric acid, mixed with about 750 gallons of storm water.
He said the company was cooperating with ADEM and other state agencies in the investigation and would take steps to "ensure that this type of spill does not occur in the future."
American Proteins is a poultry processing plant, rendering offal, organs or other parts of the chicken not desired for human consumption into pet food and high-protein livestock feed. According to The Cullman Times, American Proteins is the largest such operation in the world and its 600-acre Hanceville plant employs roughly 230 people and can process 36 million pounds of offal per week.
Nelson Brooke, of environmental group Black Warrior Riverkeeper, surveyed the scene on Friday, photographing the large numbers of dead fish in the river after the spill.
"This sort of accident is inexcusable, and totally preventable," Brooke said. "Proper housekeeping, maintenance, spill control planning should keep something like this from ever happening."
Brooke also said that the American Proteins facility had experienced issues in the past, citing a 1.6 million gallon spill of wastewater in 2011.
"We expect American Proteins to be held fully accountable by state regulators," Brooke said. "[The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources] counted the fish yesterday, and can - and should - levy a fine based upon their investigation expenses and the economic valuation of the dead fish.
"ADEM can - and should - fine American Proteins for spilling 900 gallons of sulfuric acid into the Mulberry Fork, to encourage better housekeeping and to deter future mishaps."
Unusual release
The release of that much sulfuric acid into a flowing river is very uncommon and leaves state agencies and environmental groups somewhat out of their element in determining the next steps.
"This is the first time I've heard of a spill of this since I've been at ADEM," Hand said. "We're concerned any time something gets in the water that shouldn't."
Hand referred questions about potential health affects of sulfuric acid to the Alabama Department of Public Health, which did not immediately respond to messages left Friday afternoon.
According to a Centers for Disease Control fact sheet, sulfuric acid is highly corrosive to skin and eyes and can cause severe burns, blisters, redness or pain. The recommended treatment for exposure is to remove contaminated clothing, remove contact lenses in eyes, rinse skin thoroughly with clean water, and seek professional medical attention.
Sulfuric acid can also form harmful vapors during chemical reactions, though it's unclear whether that is of concern in an outdoor environment. The CDC notes that sulfuric acid is harmful to aquatic organisms.
John Kinney, enforcement coordinator for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, said he also hadn't heard of a sulfuric acid spill of this magnitude in more than a decade of working or volunteering with the Riverkeeper group. He also noted the spill location in the Mulberry Fork was relatively shallow with a low flow rate compared to other parts of the river, so the chemical may not dilute as quickly into the water.
Early reports of the spill included recommendations that people avoid all recreational contact with the water, which Hand said was an overstatement of their recommendations.
"We didn't really say that [people should avoid the water]," Hand said. "We just want people to know that there's been a spill and we advise caution on any recreational activities on the Mulberry Fork, at least through the weekend."
Hand said American Proteins had put up a sign near the sight of the spill to warn recreational water users.
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American Proteins, Inc.
Cumming, GA
Hanceville, AL
Cuthbert, GA
Alma, GA
Hanceville, AL
Cuthbert, GA
Alma, GA
With a fast-growing list of customers and an increase in our export business, our products are being used around the world. Innovation is the driving force behind every aspect of our operation. Many of the processes and much of the technology used today in the rendering processing industry was developed by American Proteins, Inc. Continuous cookers and advanced materials handling equipment designs are just a couple of advanced developments from our plants.
Rendering plant, Hanceville, AL
Rending plant, Cumming, GA
Our rendering division, like all of the American Proteins Divisions, is committed to continuing research and discovery efforts as industry change and technologies advance. Our rendering division thrives because we are committed to responsive, fast and helpful service. Regardless of company size or need, we respond to our customers with immediate and appropriate service.
Quality control at our plants is unmatched in every process from testing through processing and formulations. Ongoing staff training, strict traffic control, biosecurity and rigid quality assurance programs allow us to consistently provide customers with high-quality products that are safe and free of contaminants.
Environment
Clean Water discharge into river
All three of our American Proteins rendering facilities are reclaiming 95,000,000 pounds a week of otherwise waste product into high quality protein and fat ingredients for animal feed products, while strictly adhering to state and federal environmental compliance regulations. We continuously research, invest and implement environmental improvement strategies at every stage of our production cycle. From operator training, to capture and reuse of biogas, to extensive water recycling quality programs, American Proteins leads the way in environmental responsibility.