DEEP Lifts Fish Ban on River Near Southington Chemical Spill Site

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Monday lifted the fish consumption advisory for a stretch of the Quinnipiac River in Southington, citing laboratory test results that show no evidence of contamination from a chemical spill last week in the waters or banks of the river.

DEEP Emergency Response staffers said results of tests on water and soil samples taken at the spot where a liquid containing hexavalent chromium reached the river last Wednesday morning – and also at sites downstream – did not detect the presence of that chemical.

DEEP officials also said there has been no evidence of any fish kill or mortality to other aquatic life in the river.

DEEP had issued a fish consumption advisory last Thursday – August 25 – for a portion of the Quinnipiac River in Southington from West Queen Street and downstream to Route 10 – South Main St. DEEP had also urged the public to stay away from the banks of the Quinnipiac River in the immediate area of the spill, because of the potential for contact with hexavalent chromium in the soils there.

Regulations governing fishing designate the Quinnipiac River, as it flows through Southington, as a Wild Trout Management Area, where any trout caught by anglers must be released. It is possible, however, to catch other species of fish in those waters – which anglers are allowed to take.

Last Wednesday morning – August 24 - a release of hexavalent chromium was reported at Light Metals Coloring, 270 Spring St., Southington. The release was estimated at about 300 gallons, DEEP officials said.

Hexavalent chromium is a salt-like substance – associated with public health impacts – that is mixed with liquids as part of the manufacturing process at Light Metals, according to DEEP Offocials. A malfunction in the system at the plant led to liquid containing the chemical to be released through roof vents, according to the DEEP report. It then drained off the roof and through roof drains, onto a road surface, a driveway, and soils – and also into a catch basin system which carried some of it out to the nearby Quinnipiac River, according to the report.

DEEP and local officials also reported on the cleanup efforts and its results.

They detailed the following:

• The roof at Light Metals Coloring has been removed and replaced. Roof drains have also been removed and replaced.

• The driveway at the 270 Spring St. facility and adjacent roadway have been excavated and soil samples from exposed areas have been taken. Results from tests on the soils there are pending.

• The catch basin network has been cleaned and a pump system installed to divert water from the portion of the storm drain system in the spill area to containment tanks – to prevent it from flowing into the Quinnipiac River. The system will be flushed and the water will be collected and sampled to ensure future rain events do not discharge pollutants into the river.

• Surface water samples were taken from the river at the outfall, 2.5 miles downstream and 5 miles downstream, adjacent to the Cheshire North drinking well field. These were non-detect. A sample was of ground water infiltration into the swale post excavation was also non-detect. Wells were installed in the roadway excavation into ground water, which showed no presence of contamination in ground water.

• Two public wells had been shut down throughout the event and will be placed back online once the analytics indicate it is safe to do so. Additionally, private wells have been sampled. The well issues are being overseen by the local health department and the local water department in relation to the public wells.