Akron Water Supply Flowing Again After Spill

KENT, Ohio -- A small equipment failure led to the spill of a water treatment chemical at Akron's water supply plant at Lake Rockwell late Saturday night.

Water supplied by the city to its customers was never affected and is safe to use.

Mike McGlinchy, Akron's public utilities manager, said that aluminum chlorohyrdate (ACH is an irritant to eyes and skin) spilled when a pipe that carries it from one tank to another failed, spilling the contents inside the treatment building.

"We'd like to thank the folks with the Portage County HazMat squad for their quick response and assistance," said McGlinchy. "Two of our employees came into contact with the chemical and were taken to the hospital."

Both employees' exposure was said to have been minor; both have been released following treatment at Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, the plant went back on line and will be slowly ramping back up to normal pumping capacity throughout the morning, according to the plant manager. While the plant was off line Saturday night, the City used its storage system.