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Howland company takes responsibility for spill into Mahoning River
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says Wheatland Tube on Dietz Road in Howland has been identified as the source of the hydraulic fluid that spilled into a creek and the Mahoning River on Monday.
“Wheatland Tube stepped up to take responsibility and hired a contractor” to help the Warren Water Pollution Control Department finish the cleanup of the fluid, estimated to be less than 100 gallons, said Dina Pierce, an OEPA spokeswoman.
Wheatland Tube said it didn’t know why the spill occurred, Pierce said.
The fluid first was identified as a sheen on the Mahoning River in Packard Park and reported to the Ohio EPA at 5:15 p.m. Monday, leading to the discovery that it had come from a large storm-sewer pipe behind the National Packard Museum on Mahoning Avenue Northwest.
The Warren Fire Department, Warren Water Pollution Control and Trumbull County HazMat contained the spill Monday night continuing Tuesday morning. Kurt Kollar of the OEPA was on site Tuesday oveseeing the cleanup and working to identify its source.
Pierce contacted The Vindicator late Tuesday afternoon to identify Wheatland Tube in the Golden Triangle area of Warren and Howland as that source.
The agencies used booms at several locations in the river and in a stream near the intersection of Griswold Street Northeast and Dietz Road.
The Warren Water Pollution Control Department used a vacuum truck to suck up several truckloads of the liquid, officials said.
The Golden Triangle area of Warren and Howland is about 1 mile east of Packard Park. The liquid traveled about a mile in a large storm-sewer pipe to reach the river.
Pierce said the spill is in the lower range “as spills go.” There appears to have been no killing of wildlife, she said. She said she didn’t know how long the cleanup would take.
Wheatland Tube manufactures tubular steel for commercial and industrial functions, including fire-sprinkler systems, electrical raceways, fence framework, energy construction and solar related applications, according to the company’s website.