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A mysterious acid spill forced the shutdown of a freeway ramp on I-80 early today, and it will likely remain closed all night long, and maybe through the weekend.
The acid produced a chemical reaction so intense that a driver called in a report of a wildfire. The ramp to eastbound I-80 at Saltair will stay closed until they can neutralize the acid and scoop up the contaminated dirt.
It now appears likely the powerful acid spilled or was dumped from a passing truck.
Firefighters quickly called in a hazmat team because they knew instantly, this was no grass fire.
Zach Robinson, a hazmat team member with Unified Fire Authority, said, "What we saw when we arrived was sort of a white haze or white vapor."
Capt. Wade Russell, also with Unified Fire Authority, said, "A plume of smoke, some bubbling coming from the ground around the chemical leads them to believe it was a chemical."
One contaminated area was on the shoulder of the I-80 on-ramp. A much bigger spill a few hundred feet away apparently poured off the shoulder into a dry marsh. "The product then pooled up on the ground and then, eventually, soaked into the ground at that location," Robinson said.
Russell said the area contaminated by the chemical was approximately 45 feet by 25 feet.
Test showed a pH of one, an extremely powerful acid that could have hurt anyone who blundered into it. Robinson said, "It could have done some great damage to their skin and bones or anything that product came in contact with."
Ron Lund, with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department, said the spill was in an area where there aren't a lot of people.
The spill was close to Kennecott where powerful acids are handled in large quantities. But authorities found no immediate connection.
Cleanup crews used soda ash to neutralize the acid. Once testing is complete, the contaminated soil will likely be hauled away. "That usually goes to a landfill that is able to accept an acidic soil," said Lund. "And then they treat the soil and make it safe to be discarded into a normal landfill or to be resued."
Health authorities say illegal dumping of chemicals is not a big problem in this area. If that's what it turns out to be in this case, depending on the circumstances, it could lead to criminal charges.
Kennecott released this statement this afternoon: "We do produce sulfuric acid at our smelter. The acid is supplied to vendors by truck and rail. We have systems in place to assure that tank leaks are caught before a truck or rail car leaves the property. We have been looking into this incident. At this time, we cannot find any evidence that the acid came from Kennecott, but we too are awaiting tests and other information. We asked for an accounting from companies who had their trucks leave with loads from our property this morning. There is no information at this time that gives reason to believe that this acid came from Kennecott or that it is, in fact, sulfuric acid."
So far, authorities have found no connections.
E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
