An industrial truck rolled over north of Port Alice Wednesday morning and began leaking, according to officials.
Port Alice Emergency, a notification page run by the Village of Port Alice, posted a notification about the tanker truck rollover just after 8 a.m. In later posts, officials confirmed the driver was ok and no one else was involved in the crash.
A truck rollover closed part of Highway 30, north of Port Alice, on Oct. 2, 2019. (David Burnett/Facebook)
The road opened to a single lane, alternating traffic just before 9:30 a.m. but officials warned that opening could change if the wind shifts. At around 11:30 a.m., the highway closed again. It reopened just before 2:30 p.m.
According to Drive BC, the road was closed between Industrial Way and Alice Lake Mainline (Port Alice).
The B.C. Ministry of Environment confirmed it was a B-train tanker truck that rolled over. A response contracter went to the scene and confirmed that the tanker was leaking but the leak had stopped.
The Ministry of Environment said they estimate between 75 and 100 litres of 10% Spent Sulfite Liquor (UN 1760) leaked out onto the highway corridor. No waterways have been impacted but contracters are working on a plan to remove the impacted soil and debris.
Sulfite liquor is a bisulfite solution used in making pulp by the sulfite process. According to the ministry, approximately 17,000 litres of the 10% Spent Sulfite Liquor was removed from the tanker truck Wednesday morning. Approximately 1,000 litres remains in the damaged tanker and will be removed when the semi-tractor and trailer are righted.
The ministry said the responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill. In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the cleanup, the ministry may assume the role.
Right now, the Port Alice Fire Department, Transport Canada, and the ministry all responded to the site. Intermittent highway closures are expected while the semi-tractor and trailer are being removed.
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