Chemical spill in Huron River

HURON TWP. — A chemical spill at a Huron Township plant over the weekend caused a cleanup response involving multiple agencies. At about 2 a.m. on Saturday, a railroad tanker car was being filled at the AkzoNobel plant on Sprowl Road in Huron Township when the spill occurred, according to Tim Jonovich, Erie County Emergency Management Agency's director. Normally, anything spilled would go into a containment system; however, that system was clogged, and some of the epoxy acrylate was able to make it into an outflow pipe that flows to the banks of the Huron River. Epoxy acrylic is classified as a flammable resin solution. By the time the substance reached the river, it was foamy. The small amount that got out was not enough to trigger any downriver precautions, Jonovich said. Once a worker at the plant realized what was happening, they shut off the outflow and alerted Huron firefighters. Also notified of the event were the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Cleanup crews were still working at the site on Sunday and were expected to wrap up on Monday. Jonovich said an investigation will commence to figure out why the containment system was clogged, allowing the discharge into the outflow system. AkzoNobel provided the following statement: "At approximately 2:30 a.m. ET, on Saturday February 28, an overflow involving a waterborne epoxy-acrylic resin occurred at our Huron, Ohio manufacturing facility. This resin is a component used in the production of our can coatings, and the finished can coating product is FDA approved. Our containment systems including basins connected to a containment dyke successfully captured a majority of the material onsite. Upon identifying the issue, our employees immediately activated emergency response protocols and notified local authorities and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There were no injuries. We have worked closely with the Ohio EPA throughout their on-site review. The facility remains operational, and we will continue our coordination with regulatory authorities. The safety of our employees, the Huron community and the environment remains our top priority."