10,000 gallons of an industrial detergent overflowed into the Mon river. The cleanup is mishandled and the toxic pollutant dumped again, this time into the Allegheny.
Both our local papers cover the story half-wittedly, leaving readers to piece together what happened and track down the who's and why's.
State environmental officials say the same kind of industrial detergent that spilled into the Monongahela River in Fayette County a few days ago has now gone into the Allegheny River from a Harmar treatment plant.
The spill of ethoxylated alcohol from the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant in Harmar occurred Thursday, said plant manager Rich Chiavetta. The state Department of Environmental Protection says it was reported Friday. Mr. Chiavetta said about 10,000 gallons was released. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said the drinking water supply was not affected.
On Wednesday, the same chemical leaked from a containment pit in Newell into the Monongahela River. A number of fish were killed due to the spill.
The chemical is found in some household detergents and can be harmful in concentrated form, but officials say it is toxic to aquatic organisms.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11246/1172067-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml
The trib-review does a bit better if you read it three times and try to put the puzzle together...
Industrial detergent, toxic to fish, spills into Allegheny River
The same industrial detergent that spilled into the Monongahela River this week in Fayette County flowed into the Allegheny River from the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant in Harmar Friday, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
The product -- ethoxylated alcohol, also known as Trideceth-3 -- is also found in some household detergents and can cause skin and eye irritation in humans. But it is toxic to aquatic organisms, according to a hazardous materials data sheet. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers said the spill was reported Friday afternoon near the Hulton Bridge and that the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority immediately closed its intake valve in Aspinwall to prevent the contaminant from entering the water system.
However, Rich Chiavetta, plant manager of the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority, said the contaminant actually was released into the Allegheny River on Thursday.
The concentrated detergent spilled into the Monongahela River on Wednesday afternoon from the Henwil Corp. in Newell, a company that blends chemicals for water treatment plants*. A company spokesman said 2,620 gallons of ethoxylate detergent spilled and filled a containment pit, but some leaked through a crack in the wall of the pit. Several dozen fish were killed by the spill.
DEP spokeswoman Katy Gresh said McCutcheon Enterprises Inc., a waste management company in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, cleaned the spill. Gresh said she understands McCutcheon took the detergent that it cleared from the Mon, transported it to Harmar, and deposited it at the treatment plant for disposal. Chiavetta, who believes about 10,000 gallons of the contaminant was released into the Allegheny, said proper procedures were followed. He said that the plant accepted the same industrial detergent several weeks ago, analyzed it and treated it without incident. Chiavetta suspects the detergent this time was more "highly concentrated ... and it upset the plant."
Gresh said the DEP is investigating.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said preliminary indications are that fewer than 100 fish have been killed but there could be more.
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said it was notified at 1:30 p.m. Friday about the fouled water and took immediate steps to make sure the drinking supply remained safe. "None of this substance passed into Pittsburgh's drinking water supply," a company statement said.
Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_754930.html
So my read ...
It seems the waste managment company, McCutcheon Enterprises, responsible for cleaning up the spill that leaked into the Mon from Henwil's containment pit, took the "spilled Trideceth-3, an ethoxylated alcohol" to a wastewater treatment facility on the Allegheny (who had accepted and treated this chemical before), but this load was more concentrated and "upset the plant." leading to a second release of the industrial detergent into the Allegheny river. Hmnn a little more info here -- what are the water treatment procedures for this chemical prior to releasing it into waterways? Is it dilution or some other treatment process? What does "upset" mean? What caused the alarm bells to ring and alert the PSWA to shut down the drinking water intake?
*Also they mischaracterize the company behind the source of the spill -- to call Henwil Corp a company that blends chemicals for water treatment plants is a partial description at best. These folks provide and blend water treament chemicals for industrial uses -- including slickwater hydraulic fracturing and treating of produced waters from natural gas drilling.
Note, Henwil on their website claims ...
"We are located about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the Monongahela River. Our manufacturing facility offers interstate, rail, and barge access. The plant boasts tankage from 500 gallons to 3.5 million gallons. Blending tanks range from 50 gallons to 10,000 gallons. Reactor sizes are 50 to 4,000 gallons.
At Henwil, our goal is to help you manage your water treatment needs. Whether it is water produced during oil and gas well drilling, mineral slurry drying, or incoming water clarification at a paper mill, we have the experience and knowledge to benefit your process."
NB: ethoxylated alcohol is an additive, or friction reducer used in slickwater hydraulic fracturing, in other words natural gas drilling.
See: SPE 119900 Critical Evaluations of Additives Used in Shale Slickwater Fracs
Let's hope the DEP's investigation brings some clarity to the situation, as well as processes to avoid this ineptitude in the future.
Source: Henwil
Source: WPXI