An investigation is ongoing at Dart Polymers after about 900 gallons of styrene monomer were released on site — 300 gallons of which left the property and entered the environment including the Ohio River, according to company officials. Officials said the release has been contained and they believe river water quality was not affected.
According to Owensboro Fire Department Chief James Howard, OFD was called to the scene at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday night to investigate a chemical spill complaint at Dart Polymers. Howard said emergency dispatch revealed that a leak from the facility had soaked into the ground around the railcar loading area.
The Kentucky Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also responded to the scene. The ERT confirmed some chemicals had leaked into the water.
HEPACO crews were called to the scene Thursday. HEPACO is a premier environmental and emergency services company in the eastern U.S.
Howard commended Dart Polymers for its swift response in using a containment boom to contain the spill in the water and keep it from spreading.
“That was fantastic as far as containing the leak in a public waterway,” he said.
OFD checked the area for hazardous material and determined that no evacuations were necessary. First responders also confirmed that the leak was no longer active when they arrived. Nobody at the scene was treated for injuries.
At that point, it was determined that the biggest problem regarding the spill was the environmental impact, Howard said.
“When we left the scene, they were making efforts to call a contractor to remove the material in the water and take the necessary steps to remove what’s in the ground,” he said. “They did have a contractor onsite before daylight to remove some of this.”
Howard said state environmental officials will want to investigate the situation at Dart Polymer to determine what caused the leak.
“Environmental protection folks are going to have to do some integrity testing at Dart to see where the failure took place,” he said. “There was a failure somewhere because those chemicals are not supposed to be on the ground.”
Officials with Dart Polymers released the following statement Thursday night:
Dart Polymers Inc., which processes styrene monomer into polystyrene used to manufacture food & beverage packaging, has contained a release of approximately 900 gallons of liquid monomer that occurred onsite. Of the estimated 900 gallons of styrene released, approximately 300 gallons left the property and entered the environment, including the Ohio River. Cleanup efforts are ongoing.
No injuries have been reported and evacuation of the facility was not required.
Dart followed its rigorous emergency response plan to contain the release and notified the Federal and Kentucky Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), Kentucky Emergency Response Team and the US Coast Guard. Officials visited the facility today to review Dart’s cleanup and remediation efforts per agency protocols. As a result of the remediation efforts undertaken, Dart believes river water quality was not affected. The investigation to determine the cause of the release is ongoing.
Dart thanks our employees for following safety protocols to contain and mitigate the release, and the Owensboro Fire Department for their assistance.
