TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2000
Fertilizer spill again taints river water
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
A fertilizer spill south of Tiffin that has flowed into the Sandusky River should not have a large impact on the city's water system, officials say.
David Little, operations superintendent of the Ohio American Water Co., said people will be working around the clock sampling the city's water to ensure there is no problem.
According to records from the Seneca County Sheriff's office, a white, milky substance was reported in Bell's Run Creek on SR 53, near the intersection with US 224.
Sheriff H. Weldin Neff said the spill was traced to a farm in the 4000 block of South SR 53.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, a state wildlife officer and Seneca County spill crews were called to the creek.
Dan Stahl, Seneca County public safety administrator, said the substance was fertilizer, similar to the recent spill near Morral into the Little Sandusky River.
"It is in the river," Stahl said. "It did kill some fish."
Little said the spill was smaller than the one that originated in Morral about a month ago. That spill made its way into the Little Sandusky River, then the Sandusky River and passed through the Tiffin area.
Little said because the creek is small, not much contaminant is reaching the river at once.
"So far, it looks like the dilution is in pretty good shape," he said. "Right now, it doesn't look like there's going to be a dramatic impact."
The water company has wells available, if needed, and can stop drawing water from the river, Little said.
The ammonium in the water could combine with chlorine the water company would add. As a result, the chlorine would not disinfect the water. Part of the strategy the water company will use is to super-chlorinate the water, using the chlorine to tie up the ammonium and then adding more to disinfect the water.
Little said the same equipment used after the Morral spill was hooked up again.