Chemical spill in Cincinnati might be headed toward Louisville

Photo: Matt Stone, Louisville Courier Journal

Update: Official says it could take days for any spill to reach Louisville.

Authorities are seeking to map what they suspect may be a spill of ammonium nitrate possibly headed toward Louisville from Cincinnati after structural failure on a barge, Kentucky environmental regulators said late Tuesday night.

Louisville Water Co. spokeswoman Kelley Dearing Smith said she will know more on Wednesday about special treatment strategies that may need to be taken, if any. “We are taking this very seriously,” she said, but added that there is no immediate threat to Louisville’s drinking water. Peter Goodmann, director of the Kentucky Division of Water, said a barge bowed in the middle and authorities are operating as if the chemical got into the water.

There is no visible plume so state officials are taking water quality samples and working with the barge company, Southern Towing, to “characterize the impact and extent of the release.” He said late Tuesday that authorities were still trying to determine how much if any of the chemical may have escaped.

However, a report from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission estimated the potential for release was at 375,000 gallons. The […]

Full article: Chemical spill in Cincinnati might be headed toward Louisville