On Thursday, July 2, at 9:53 AM, Rich Potter, Superintendent of Smith Utility District, received a call from Bonnell informing him of a hazardous acid spill into the Caney Fork River. Smith Utility District was advised to shut off the intake into their plant from the river.
Smith Utility District had already shut down the plant at 6:30 AM due to flooding and filth in the water caused by the heavy rains received by the county.
Potter stated this was the second time he had received a call from Bonnell about acid in the River, and that there had also been flooding before he had received the previous call.
Tim Meyers, plant manger of the Smith County Bonnell plant, explained to Smith County Insider that there are a series of pits around the plant to collect possible spillage as a safety measure to prevent incidents like this from occurring. However, because of the heavy rains received by the county, the valves in those pits had been opened to allow floodwaters to escape. This allowed “less than 500 gallons” of acid to enter the river.
Meyers said the water was tested, and the concentration of acid in the water never exceeded the levels permitted by the EPA.
The acid that entered the river is used in Bonnell’s paint line system to clean aluminum.
