Hydrochloric Acid Tanker leaking near Buffalo Creek, Marion County (DHSEM)
From an Article by David Kirk, Times West Virginian, April 6, 2022
PINE GROVE — A chemical spill forced authorities to halt traffic on U.S. Route 250 as emergency responders worked to contain the mess.
Wednesday afternoon, the driver of a semi-truck that was transporting a tanker full of hydrochloric acid noticed a leak in his trailer while traveling near the Pine Grove Bridge on the Husky Highway. No information was immediately available about how much of the chemical was spilled.
The driver called emergency services, who called out for assistance with the chemical spill. The Marion County Sheriff’s Department responded and assessed the situation and evacuated homes around the affected area.
“We have had a substantial leak of the chemical and we’re in the process of clean up and abatement,” Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle said, at the scene Wednesday. “We’ve evacuated the surrounding area because of the potential harm that [chemical] can do.”
According to the American Petroleum Institute, hydrochloric acid is used to clean out scale, rust and other debris in fracking wells through a process called acid washing. Drillers pump thousands of gallons of water mixed with acid down into a well after the natural gas well hole is bored. The goal is to clear out any remaining debris left over from the drilling stage, and to loosen up the shale fractures underground.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Hydrochloric acid is corrosive to the eyes, skin and mucous membranes. Short-term inhalation or exposure may cause eye, nose and respiratory tract irritation and inflammation and pulmonary edema in humans.
The responding deputies set up at the Marion County Soccer Complex to redirect traffic, which was backed up toward the intersection between Route 250 and Barrackville Road. Deputies on the other side of the spill toward Farmington were also diverting traffic away from the accident.
The deputies evacuated the homes within 1,000 feet of the area. Riffle said that at this time they were not sure if the spill had leaked into the nearby Buffalo Creek. “It has not leaked into the creek that we know of yet,” Riffle said. “That will be determined once cleanup is completed and we can get in there.”
County 911 dispatchers said 17 units responded to the scene, including the deputies directing traffic. The City of Fairmont Fire Department Hazmat Unit also responded to the scene in addition to Barrackville firefighters. Units from Monongalia County responded to the scene as well. Around 4:30 p.m., authorities said that a second tanker was en route to the scene to transfer the chemical to a new container.
NOTE ~ It is estimated that over 20 tons of HCl acid was lost from the tanker truck.
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Subject: Major Incident on US 250 in Marion County ~ Tanker Truck Transporting Hydrochloric Acid was Leaking
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Public Information Officer Terry Fletcher.
Fletcher said “an estimated 1,758 gallons of material spilled” onto U.S. 250 North near the Pine Grove Bridge from a truck transporting the toxic acid that is used in the hydraulic fracturing process.
“According to information received from first-hand accounts, there was no wreck or incident of any type. The driver observed a leak from the tank and pulled over,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher said DEP officials who went to the site Wednesday afternoon reported no visible impact to nearby streams from the leakage.
Hydrochloric acid is used to clean out scale, rust and other debris in fracking wells through a process called acid washing, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
https://www.timeswv.com/news/local_news/no-fines-or-charges-in-hydrochloric-acid-spill/article_c9aa5b4c-b789-11ec-87a9-f3387b8558d8.html
Major Incident on US 250 in Marion County ~ Tanker Truck Transporting Hydrochloric Acid was Leaking
It’s quite curious to me that the responsible operator(s) is not named nor where the HCl was coming from or going to.
The spill didn’t start in the spot that the tanker finally stopped. How long/far had it been leaking? Why was it leaking?
Was it headed North out of Fairmont or coming South out of Farmington/ Mannington? Was it coming from or to the Marcellus well in the Little Dents Run area? Either way it would have been traveling parallel to the Buffalo.
Also no mention of fines or cleanup reimbursement.
Something stinks in the reporting and it’s not just the HCl.