San Antonio Water System workers transferring fluoride at the utility’s North East Operations Center on Friday spilled about 4,100 gallons of the chemical, officials said.

The spill was caused by malfunctioning valves, SAWS spokeswoman Anne Hayden said.

As a result, some of the fluoride was lost into the secondary containment area,” she said. “We have all sorts of protocol of how we manage fluoride and chlorine, the two biggest chemicals we work with.”

SAWS’ protocol includes calling in the San Antonio Fire Department’s hazardous materials team and notifying the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The spill occurred when SAWS employees were receiving a delivery of fluoride at the facility at 13655 O’Connor Road. No one was injured in the incident.

The cleanup was close to finished Friday afternoon, Hayden said.

SAWS doesn’t experience chemical spills often, she said, but staff trains for such incidents regularly.

*Original article online at https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/local/politics/article/Fluoride-spill-at-SAWS-facility-cleaned-up-13727554.php

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