On Sunday evening, Emergency Services attended 52nd Street for reports of a liquid asphalt spill. The spill has affected some ATCO power infrastructure, and they will be shutting down power to a limited number of customers in the immediate area.
The spill also required the roadway to be shut down and it is still closed.
While attending the scene today, we were able to learn about some of the things being done in order to mitigate the incident and re-open the roadway.
According to city officials on scene the spill is about “90 per cent cleaned up”, they are using heavy equipment to scrap away and take away much of the spilled asphalt. They also told us they are trying to use dry ice in order to remove some of the remaining spill.
We reached out to environmental experts at Nichol Environments Canada to learn about some of the things that could be done for a spill such as this.
“They could choose to steam the product,” said Justin Zunti a project manager for the company. “Some companies have industrial cleaners which would help to mitigate a spill like that.”
The city official on scene said it wasn’t an option in this case due to environmental concerns and they are working with companies to clean up the rest of the spill as fast as possible.
Currently if vehicles were to be allowed back on the street the tires would get covered in a stick residue as was seen on many of the heavy equipment vehicles that were in attendance.
A press release from the city is below regarding the situation:
Cleanup crews remain on the scene of a liquid asphalt spill that resulted in a temporary road closure between 50 Avenue and 62 Avenue in Lloydminster.
While much of the material has been cleared, environmental mitigation work continues. The road closure remains in effect to ensure worker safety during the clean-up.
ATCO Electric is conducting repairs on infrastructure damaged in the incident. A limited number of residents and businesses in the immediate vicinity of the scene will experience a 4-5 hour power disruption.
Background
The Lloydminster Fire Department responded to the incident late Sunday evening to assist with shutting down the roadway. The City has confirmed the spill was from a vehicle operated by an industrial service company. Measures have been taken to mitigate environmental damage and prevent material from entering the stormwater system.
Updates to come
Read More: 52 St. closed in Lloydminster following liquid ashaplt spill
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