Acid Cleanup Closes Road for 4 1/2 Hours

A chemical spill on SH1, about 2km north of Putaruru, forced the closure of the road and evacuation of a house early today.

A corrosive chemical, carried by a truck, spilled on to a 50m stretch of road about 3.45am.

A police spokesman said a house nearby was evacuated as a precaution while the spill was being cleaned up.

Firefighters from Rotorua, including the Hazardous Material Team, helped South Waikato firefighters contain and mop up the chemical, understood by Environment Waikato to be hydrochloric acid. The road was reopened to traffic about 8.20am.

Environment Waikato spokesman Stephen Ward said firefighters blocked a nearby drain and heavily diluted the acid to prevent it contaminating waterways.

What we’re expecting is this very diluted acid will now seep into the soil, but we’re not expecting it to have any on-going environmental impacts,” he said.

Only a small amount of the chemical spilled on the road. Mr Ward praised quick-thinking firefighters for minimising its effects on the environment.

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