“Had (gasoline) got into that retention pond, it would have been a really tough situation,” Farmer said. “No telling how long it would have taken us to clean this up without those dams. That really made a huge difference for us.”
The Ohio EPA is overseeing the cleanup at the site along I-75 near the Ohio 129 exit in Liberty Twp. Clean Harbors Environmental, a company that specializes in hazardous waste disposal, has been contracted by the owner of the tanker truck — Prescott Tank Lines Inc. — to remove contaminated soil and soak up gasoline remnants.
Crews remained on the scene until after midnight Monday and resumed cleanup at 9 a.m. Tuesday. About 10 workers spent the day vacuuming a 300-yard-long drainage ditch along the highway, digging up and stockpiling contaminated soil and removing dead vegetation, Farmer said.
Poor weather aids crew
Cold and snowy conditions Tuesday actually aided workers by creating a safer work site, Farmer said. The hard ground made it easier for backhoes and vacuum trucks to maneuver the site. Frigid temperatures also slowed the evaporation of the gasoline, which could have posed an explosive hazard under warmer conditions.
“It’s not comfortable,” Farmer said of the snow and cold, “but it’s really helped us out in the response.”
Farmer said crews would leave absorbent materials along the drainage ditch overnight Tuesday to soak up the gasoline the vacuums could not get. Crews are expected to finish today, and will monitor and maintain the site periodically afterward.
“Things could have been a lot different had the initial response not been so good,” Farmer said. “We do a lot of these, and this went very well. I’ve seen these (cleanups) take 10 to 15 hours. Eight hours is one of the fastest these ever go.”
Farmer said he doesn’t anticipate the EPA handing down any penalties or fines to Prescott Tank Lines for the accident.
“They’ve taken responsibility and the cleanup is going to be very costly on their part,” he said.
Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Galloway said no figures have been released on cleanup costs accrued by the public agencies involved. However, Galloway said under law through emergency management, they can recover costs from the hauler’s insurance company.
The spill required assistance of Monroe, Hamilton, Liberty Twp., Fairfield Twp. and West Chester Twp. fire departments.
Officials with Prescott Tank Lines did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.
According to EPA and Butler County EMA officials, the tanker truck was carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline when the accident occurred.
About the crash
The crash began when Caleigh Lakes, 21, of Franklin, was traveling southbound on I-75 and swerved left to avoid a box in the road, according to officials at the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Hamilton post. Lakes lost control of her vehicle, struck the concrete wall, crossed back into the right lane and was hit by the tanker truck.
The truck drove off the right side of the road, overturned and came to rest on the its left side. It was driven by Joseph Jones, 38, of Warsaw, Ky.
He was taken to West Chester Medical Center, and Lakes was taken to Atrium Medical Center. Both were treated and released, according to the highway patrol. Lakes was cited by the highway patrol for “operating without reasonable control.”
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