A chemical spill in Southington has mobilized cleanup crews and resulted in a warning for nearby residents to avoid a section of the Quinnipiac River.
About 300 gallons of hexavalent chromium spilled on Wednesday at Light Metals Coloring, a manufacturing plant. Hexavalent chromium is an industrial material that's known to cause cancer.
According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, some of the chemical got into pavement and dirt on the property, which is now being dug up and removed.
The toxic chemical also flowed into a portion of the nearby Quinnipiac River. But Dennis Schain, a spokesperson for DEEP said cleanup officials haven't seen any immediate impacts on nearby wildlife.
"We've not seen any evidence from wildlife in the area -- and even fish in the river -- of any impacts," he said. "There could have been some immediate impacts if there was a significant flow of it into the river. Given the pH of the substance, it could have resulted in some fish kills right away. We have not seen that yet."
In the meantime, DEEP said residents should not eat fish taken from a section of the Quinnipiac River in Southington between Queen Street and Route 10. "We also advise people to stay away from the banks of the river in the area around the plant," said Schain. "Because if there's hexavalent chromium in the soils, you can be exposed to it. That can cause immediate skin irritations."
Southington did close two of its public drinking water wells following the spill. On Thursday afternoon, officials issued this statement:
As a precaution two of the SWD’s wells were temporarily shut down until there was a better understanding of the amount, type and the remediation process of the chemical spill. We are confident the Town of Southington’s emergency response team has the situation under control and that there will be no adverse impact to the Town of Southington’s drinking water supply. However, as a safeguard SWD will be conducting a series of water quality samples to ensure the water supply remains safe for consumption.
DEEP said Clean Harbors has been contracted to do remediation work on the site as a result of the spill. Soils are being removed, along with portions of the roadway and parking areas on the site. Tests at the site are ongoing.
