Canfield chemical spill clean-up, Ohio EPA releases additional r - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

CANFIELD, Oh. - The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released additional requirements for the ongoing clean-up efforts following Material Science Corporation's (MSC) July 2024 chemical spill in Sawmill Creek. As a result of the spill, the Ohio EPA reported last year that contaminants such as cyanide and other metals were detected in the creek, near Canfield High School and the Mill Creek MetroParks Bike Trail.

Over the past year, MSC has been working with the EPA to conduct creek sampling and clean-up contaminants. 

In early July, the EPA responded to MSC's clean-up plan with eight pages, detailing 23 corrections to the plan.

"Final dam construction activities" in the affected area — to counteract any future spills — began July 7. MSC has also constructed a pump house shed and an underground, double-walled piping trench to conduct continuous testing of the spill-area and prevent any future downstream contamination. The EPA, in its most recent statement to MSC, doubled-down on the increased monitoring of potential pollutants entering the contaminated ditch, using the pump house. 

The agency also stated concerns with the newly constructed dam and pump house's susceptibility to wetland floods as well as storm-water runoff. In the recent statement, the EPA emphasized that MSC detail further efforts to prevent storm-water contamination as well as facility chemical leakage. 

Further testing, additional soil management plans and clarified emergency chemical response procedures are required for MSC as they continue managing the spill-area, the EPA stated.

For more details regarding the EPA's response to MSC, see the agency's full July 29 report.