50 to 100 gallons of fuel spilled from truck, some into creek

Emily Mills
Mansfield News Journal

MADISON TOWNSHIP - Fifty to 100 gallons of fuel spilled from a Family Dollar tractor-trailer truck after it ruptured a fuel tank in the store's parking lot at Trimble Road and Ohio 39 on Wednesday afternoon.

Some of the fuel spilled into a creek behind several residences on Truxell Drive, off Ohio 39, and some residents are concerned the fuel could contaminate their water supply, which is mostly from wells.

Madison Fire Chief Ron Luttrell said the incident was reported around 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The semi hit curbing between the road and the parking lot of the Family Dollar, causing one of the fuel tanks to rupture, Luttrell said.

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"He just cut the corner a little too close when he was backing in," he said. "He was getting ready to drop off a load."

A fuel tank ruptured on a Family Dollar semi Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m. Madison and Mansfield firefighters are on scene containing the spill. Trimble Road is closed in the area of the store.

The Mansfield Fire Department's regional HAZMAT team responded to the scene, and firefighters used a device to plug the leak.

Luttrell said original estimates were 40 to 50 gallons of fuel that leaked, but new estimates are anywhere between 50 to 100 gallons of fuel.

Luttrell said the fuel got into a storm drain at the intersection of Trimble and Ohio 39 and traveled to the small creek off 39 and Truxell Drive.

"Our crews quickly, you know, took care of getting the leak stopped, keeping it from further going down into the storm drain," Luttrell said. 

The creek runs next to the residence of Mike Wilson, who lives on 39.

He said he's lived in the house since 1984, and nothing like this has happened before, although he said the creek is often full of debris and floods in heavy rains.

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The house, which was his grandparents' when he was growing up, has a roughly 80-foot well.

Wilson is concerned the quality of his water will be affected, he said.

"We just don't know what it's gonna do. Is it gonna soak in?" he said. "We had a little bit of rain yesterday, and it's not supposed to rain for another week or so, so this stuff's gonna have time to, what they don't get cleaned up, it's gonna have time to go into the ground, is what I'm concerned about."

Wilson also said there are tiny fish that live in the creek and raccoons that live in the area, and he's concerned about the environmental effects on the area.

"Where it's not moving, it's just stuck against this side," Wilson said of the fuel.

A man is reflected in a creek off Ohio 39 on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The wavy lines near the bottom of the creek in the photo are fuel spilled from a truck after its tank ruptured.

Even nearly four hours after the incident started, the pungent smell of fuel still hung in the air of the quiet, residential neighborhood off 39.

The creek is only a few inches deep and maybe a foot of two wide, but a thin sheen of fuel sits on top.

"It was just solid yellow fuel running. It was ridiculous," Wilson said of the incident shortly after it happened.

Luttrell, Richland County Emergency Management Director Mike Bailey and Richland Public Health director of environmental health Joe Harrod went door-to-door on Truxell Drive to let residents know what was happening and distribute cases of bottled water as a precaution.

Bailey recommended residents in the area not drink their water at this time, although other activities should be safe.

"Go ahead and shower in it. There shouldn't be a problem showering. And obviously watch for any smells or any odors," Bailey said. "Call us back if you have anything."

Bailey said 12 cases of water were handed out to residents. He said the cases were given to all residents on Truxell.

"We're being overly proactive. We don't think there's gonna be a problem," he said. "We're 99 percent sure, OK. But just to be safe, we want to make sure."

A sheen of fuel sits on top of a creek off Ohio 39 near Truxell Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The fuel came from a Family Dollar tractor-trailer that ruptured its fuel tank after striking part of a curb.

Harrod said it is possible Richland Public Health will return to the residences to test samples of their drinking water.

"We're just using an extreme abundance of caution," he said. "It is possible that we might come out and test some of these wells. We don't know that for sure at this point, but that might be the case." 

Bailey said the number of underground water wells in the area is a concern, but he said the possibility is low there is any risk of contamination.

"For that little bit of amount, when I say little bit, 50 to 100 gallons, to leach into these wells and go down to that level, number one, it's highly unlikely, and number two, it would take a long time for it to get down there, longer than just, you know, an instantaneous thing," Bailey said.

Luttrell said as part of the cleanup, a vacuum truck is coming in from Toledo and should arrive late Wednesday evening.

He said all the remaining fuel in the ruptured tank was transferred to the fuel tank on the other side of the truck.

Richland County Emergency Management Director Mike Bailey  (on ground), Madison Fire Chief Ron Luttrell (left on porch) and Richland Public Health director of environmental health Joe Harrod talk with a resident on Truxell Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The three were telling residents fuel had leaked into a creek near their homes and were distributing cases of bottled water as a precaution.

A private company, Canton-based Sunpro, is working on cleaning up the site, Bailey said.

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Bailey said the Environmental Protection Agency has been notified and will respond to the scene Thursday.

"Tomorrow, we'll probably know better," he said.

Trimble Road remains closed from near Longview Avenue north to Ohio 39 while crews continue to work on the situation.

The cab will need to be towed, and another semi cab will need to take the trailer.

The driver of the truck was not injured.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office also assisted on the scene.

Of the fuel in the creek, Wilson said his concern is for the future, after the immediacy of the cleanup.

"I've always had really good water. I don't have any odors yet. I've never had any sulfur smell. It's hard water, but I can deal with that," he said. "Who knows what this is gonna do in a month? That's what we're concerned about. Water is a big deal."

Lou Whitmire contributed reporting.