An emergency responder from the Department of Natural Resources was called to the scene of the intentional dumping of an estimated 500 gallons of ethanol in Howell County north of Willow Springs Saturday.
The department’s Environmental Emergency Response section was contacted Saturday afternoon by the Missouri State Highway Patrol concerning the dumping of ethanol into a road ditch on U.S. 60 two miles north of Willow Springs just south of the Texas County line. The highway patrol reported that trooper pulled up to the truck as the driver, who was concerned that his truck was overweight, was in the process of pumping the ethanol into the ditch.
The department dispatched a state on-scene coordinator from Jefferson City to assist and collect samples from both the truck and the affected area.
The trucking company, Tomahawk Transport, Tulsa, Okla., has hired an environmental contractor to conduct a cleanup of the site.
The department’s Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department’s 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.