Hazmat crews from Milwaukee responded after a tanker truck spilled toluene diisocyanate while unloading the chemical at Reiss Industries. The spill sent five people to the hospital and forced others out of their homes.
Watertown police removed barricades blocking Hart and 9th Streets about 7 p.m. Wednesday night, though the spill was not fully cleaned up.
"The main thing that needs to be done is get the product off the ground," said Mayor John David.
The mayor says this morning, a trucker was unloading the liquid, which is used to harden plastics, when a valve wouldn't close and about 1,000 gallons of the toxic chemical spilled onto the parking lot, into the storm sewer, and into a nearby ditch.
"There was concerns regarding our drinking water. There is not a problem with our drinking water. It was never in danger," said Fire Chief Henry Butts.
But people who breathe the chemical's vapors could be in danger, so police shut outside vents to two nearby plants, closed roads, and evacuated 21 homes -- until special testing devices flown in from Michigan confirmed the air was safe for all but one house next to the spill.
Residents, who had to wait hours to return home, were frustrated that local firefighters had to call Milwaukee's Hazmat team to shut the stuck valve.
The mayor says if it had been a warm day, more people may have been hurt and thousands may have been evacuated. He said he's thankful the chemical froze right away and did little harm, but he's worried about who's going to pay for the clean up. He says the cost could easily run into the "tens of thousands" of dollars.
The five employees exposed to the chemical were all released from the hospital.
A private contractor remained on the scene Wednesday night moving the frozen chemical into barrels. The mayor says the entire clean up probably won't be done until Thursday evening.
Watertown police removed barricades blocking Hart and 9th Streets about 7 p.m. Wednesday night, though the spill was not fully cleaned up.
"The main thing that needs to be done is get the product off the ground," said Mayor John David.
The mayor says this morning, a trucker was unloading the liquid, which is used to harden plastics, when a valve wouldn't close and about 1,000 gallons of the toxic chemical spilled onto the parking lot, into the storm sewer, and into a nearby ditch.
"There was concerns regarding our drinking water. There is not a problem with our drinking water. It was never in danger," said Fire Chief Henry Butts.
But people who breathe the chemical's vapors could be in danger, so police shut outside vents to two nearby plants, closed roads, and evacuated 21 homes -- until special testing devices flown in from Michigan confirmed the air was safe for all but one house next to the spill.
Residents, who had to wait hours to return home, were frustrated that local firefighters had to call Milwaukee's Hazmat team to shut the stuck valve.
The mayor says if it had been a warm day, more people may have been hurt and thousands may have been evacuated. He said he's thankful the chemical froze right away and did little harm, but he's worried about who's going to pay for the clean up. He says the cost could easily run into the "tens of thousands" of dollars.
The five employees exposed to the chemical were all released from the hospital.
A private contractor remained on the scene Wednesday night moving the frozen chemical into barrels. The mayor says the entire clean up probably won't be done until Thursday evening.
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