Crews quickly contain acid leak in Fairfield

Crews from the Fairfield fire department and a chemical company acted quickly to stop an acid leak that started early Monday morning.

The leak was spotted shortly before 7:20 a.m., when fire crews were dispatched to the Usalco plant, 3700 Dixie Highway, near the Fairfield/Hamilton border.

A member of the Fairfield Fire Department, who was on the scene, confirmed there was a small leak from a rail car.

“We basically had a railroad tanker that this chemical company uses. It had hydrochloric acid in it. And a pressure relief valve went off. It’s contained now,” said Lt. Jamie Viers. He said the railway car, not visible from the road, was about a quarter mile back from the building. The leak was contained before 10 a.m., he said, adding the public was never in any danger.

No evacuations were made and the plant remained open. A train engineer spotted the leak and acted quickly, said Les Gibson, the plant manager at Usalco.

“Our employees are trained to respond to these types of incidents. They stopped the leak on the rail. It was a minor leak and there were no injuries. Everything worked as it was supposed to,” Gibson said.

Workers moved the rail car into the plant, where they were able to safely unload it. According to the Usalco website, the company makes chemical compounds used in algae control, concrete additives,wastewater treatment, and many other applications.

Gibson said Usalco uses hydrochloric acid to make a compound called polyaluminum chloride, which is used in water treatment plants. The Fairfield plant has been in operation since the 1940s, having been purchased by Usalco in the 1980s. The Baltimore-based company operates seven plants around the country, according to its website.

“We have a very good safety record, going 15 years without any injuries,” Gibson said. “It’s a testament to the training of our employees.”