California Plant Grapples With Treatment Chemical Spill

A water utility in California had to contend with an aluminum-sulfate spill of its own making last month.

A delivery truck spilled the water and wastewater treatment chemical on a drive to Fleming Hill Water Treatment Plant in Vallejo, CA, on June 29, shutting down local streets, KRON reported, citing a fire spokesperson. The chemical can be corrosive to the eyes and irritates the skin.

“The spill was between 6 and 12 inches wide and about a quarter- to half-mile long,” the report said, citing a city official.

Crews immediately worked to secure the city’s water supply.

“[They] barricaded storm drains to keep the chemical out of the storm drain system. The chemical did not contaminate the city’s water supply,” the report said.

The chemical was in “a dry dormant state” near the water facility when fire crews arrived, the report said. It had been in a liquid form before the spill, but turned to a dry, white powder once exposed to the air, the report said, citing the Vallejo Public Works Department.

“The contractor’s truck, which is unaffiliated with the city, was making a delivery of the chemical used in water treatment to the [water plant] around 8:50 a.m.,” the report said, citing Vallejo fire engineer Danny Gutierrez.

New Jersey health regulators offer a fact sheet on aluminum sulfate, which is referenced in U.S. EPA materials. The fact sheet makes the following suggestions for responding to an aluminum-sulfate spill:

• Evacuate personnel and secure and control entrance to the area, eliminate all ignition sources;
• Collect powdered material in the most convenient and safe manner and place into sealed containers for disposal;
• Ventilate and wash area after cleanup is complete;
• Do not wash into sewer;
• It may be necessary to contain and dispose of aluminum sulfate as a hazardous waste. Contact your state department of environmental protection or your regional office of the federal EPA for specific recommendations.

Some activists argue that aluminum sulfate should not be used as drinking water treatment chemical. A ForceChange.com petition urges the EPA to regulate the chemical, which is widely used by utilities.

“Without regulation of this poisonous chemical, water treatment facilities will continue to use aluminum sulfate as a purifying agent, and civilians will continue to accumulate the contaminant in their bodies,” the petition said.

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.