Investigates

DEP investigating chemical spill that reached nearby stream

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SALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — UPDATE 4:55 p.m.

The Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the spill of approximately 1,300 gallons of sodium hypochlorite, similar to chlorine bleach, from the Cloverleaf Pump Station.

Inspectors on site Monday noticed a strong smell of chlorine and saw dead plants near the site of the spill.

Some of the odor control agent did leak into a nearby stream, which is a tributary to Beaver Run.

Environmental agents, along with the Fish and Boat Commission, saw fish upstream, but not downstream of the spill. DEP has recommended that Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority hire a remediation contractor to remove contaminated soils.

Stay with WPXI.com and Channel 11 News as DEP determines if any further action may be necessary.

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Officials are trying to figure out what caused a chemical spill at a Westmoreland County pump station that saturated the ground and may have leaked into a nearby creek.

Officials at the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority said the spill happened over the weekend at the Cloverleaf pump station in Salem Township.  Management didn’t know about the spill until Channel 11 started asking questions.

Officials said gallons of a solution used to mask the odor of residential sewage spilled out from the tank.  The plant manager told Channel 11 the tank contained sodium hypochlorite solution.  The pipe ruptured over the weekend.  Officials are not sure how many gallons leaked from the pump.

The plant manager compared the solution to bleach and said it is meant to cover up the smell of sewage and has nothing to do with consumption.  If it gets into the creek water, it could kill marine and aquatic life.  The creek spills out into the Beaver Run Reservoir.  It is unclear if it caused any issues there.

The Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority did check the pump and the broken pipe.  Officials have also talked with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection after learning about the leak. Channel 11 reached out to the DEP for comment, but we have not heard back from officials yet.   

Channel 11 also reached out to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.  An officer said they didn't receive any reports regarding the leak but planned to get in touch with the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority to investigate it further.

 
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