International Raw Materials, the company who contracts transportation of sulphuric acid through Trail, says a small drip occurred over the weekend.
It happened on Saturday, September 22 when a small sulphuric acid drip was noticed on a Trimac Transportation Ltd truck and trailer. At approximately 5:00pm, the product was unloaded from the truck and transferred to rail at the Quirk Siding Reload Centre in Waneta. Following that, a small volume of less than one cup was found on site at the transfer station and three dime sized drips found on 7-Mile Dam Road adjacent to the Reload Center. All were neutralized and cleaned up in accordance with Transportation of Dangerous Goods standards.
Emergency services, including RCMP, Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Service, the Teck Emergency Response Team, and IRM Technical Advisors responded to the incident. As a precaution, the Teck Emergency Response Team and the Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Service conducted extensive testing of the entire truck route from Teck Trail Operations to the Quirk Siding Reload Centre, closing a portion of Highway 22 for a brief time. All tests resulted in negative findings for sulphuric acid for the entirety of the route along Highway 22 and Highway 3B.
IRM says the trailer has been secured, and Trimac will be conducting a full investigation into the root cause of the drip and corrective actions will be taken. All sulphuric acid shipments via road have been temporarily suspended while this investigation takes place.