This article was originally published in The Examiner on Sept. 29, 2016.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says a chemical spill into Willow Marsh Bayou has been contained and that work to remove the solvent from the bayou is ongoing, and the area should be avoided during cleanup operations.
A resident on the west side of Beaumont reported a gas smell to Beaumont Fire-Rescue around 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 23. A search traced the source back to the GE Betz facility.
“They found there was spillage out into the Willow Marsh Bayou, notified the sheriff’s office,” JCSO Deputy Marcus McLellan said. “They started making appropriate notifications and establishing command.”
An emergency notification telling residents to “shelter in place as a precautionary measure” near Shady and East was sent via the new SETX emergency alerts system.
Officials contained the spill around 9 a.m.
“There is no more product running out into the bayou,” McLellan said.
McLellan reported that TCEQ and the Beaumont Hazmat team are actively monitoring up and down the bayou, checking levels.
“We have since lifted the shelter in place,” McLellan said on Sept. 23. “We are still asking everyone to stay away from the waterway and the bayou.”
Responders built a dirt dam across Willow Marsh Bayou south of Brooks Road “to slow the flow of the product and contain it,” according to a statement issued at 1:22 p.m. that same day.
Spill booms placed across the bayou should slow the flow and contain the product. Once the spill is contained, officials will remove the product.
The spill was “a solvent, mixture of different chemicals used at the plant,” according to McLellan. A statement described it as a “premium solvent mixture with a heavy aromatic.”
The Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management released a statement around 5 p.m. that official operations had demobilized and TCEQ would continue to monitor the bayou.
Oil Mop Incorporated Environmental Solutions will perform the cleanup.
An underflow dam is under construction to replace the existing dam, allowing uncontaminated water to flow through.
Officials still caution the public to avoid Willow Marsh Bayou between Highway 90 and Brooks Road.
Eleanor Skelton 