9/4/2024
WT Staff
 Got water comments, questions or concerns? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtoh.us
September 4, 2024 1017 am EDT
Reporting spills: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 24 hour Emergency Spill Hotline 1-800-282-9378 or 614-224-0946
OEPA runs Ohio's Emergency Spill Hotline, operating 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Response is dispatched as appropriate for each call, the complete details of which are often unknown at the initial report. WTOH.us follows up with OEPA on large, toxic or unusual reports for more details.
From a recent Hazardous Spill File here at WTOH.us, a tanker truck rollover initially reported 7200 gallons of milk on follow-up confirmed as 4000 gallons spilled onto the ground in a corn field, drained through the soil into tile drains and discharged into a creek. WTOH.us followed up with OEPA to find that the incident occurred around the time of a significant rain event, effectively diluting the milk that otherwise may have reduced the dissolved oxygen level in the creek, to the detriment of fish and other aquatic critters. No fish kill observed resulting from this incident.
Compare this accidental environmental impact in Ohio with another case of organic materials bio-waste from Georgia, truckloads of chicken sludge reported dumped into fields. This field discharge is reminiscent of previous public complaints called in to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Emergency Operations Center. Multiple callers reported odor and flies around trucks dumping liquid on fields.
In New York, the Department of Environmental Conservation handles emergency spill calls. According to the NYS DEC, all spills of toxic materials regulated by State and US laws are serious, "even small releases have the potential to endanger public health and contaminate groundwater, surface water, and soils." See our coverage of a highly flammable chemical spill in Manhattan last month .
Spills from a vessel into navigable waterways are reported to the Coast Guard National Response Center, 1-800-424-8802
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