Preparations for opening Waggener Community Pool prior to school letting out for summer was met with a minor setback Wednesday.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a hose being used to fill a 500-gallon tank at the pool broke and resulted in a significant amount of sodium hypochloride (bleach) being released onto the nearby parking lot.

An employee of the Brenntag Company, John Mercer, told investigators and IDEM officials that once he noticed the hose was broken it took him a short time to shut off the valve. He estimated that roughly 50 gallons of the caustic material was released on the south side parking lot of the pool.

“When we arrived on the scene you could smell bleach in the air and the chemical had pooled on the east side of Poolside Drive and had began running into the grassy area east of the city street, but that was not the real problem. Not that any spill of this nature is a good thing, but shortly after the spill occurred it began to rain and it (the bleach) began to spread,” Rushville Fire Chief Chuck Jenkins said.

Jenkins said none of the chemical entered the storm sewer system, sanitary sewer or nearby Hodges Branch.

As the added moisture began to expand the area of the spill, Jenkins requested additional manpower from his department and the assistance of street director Danny Hoover.

Three single-tandem truckloads of sand were brought to the scene to absorb the liquid and make a barrier as a means to keep the chemical from entering a nearby drain.

Due to the close proximity to the city park and nearby high school softball field, IDEM was contacted and arrived on the scene shortly after noon to inspect the cleanup effort.

Sodium hypochloride is corrosive in nature; extended contact with its vapors or direct contact with the skin can cause severe injury and/or burns.

A short time after the spill was reported area schools were notified and informed of the spill in order to relieve fears.

Jenkins indicated that the cleanup process will be ongoing for a few days and he, along with parks director Danny Mathews, ask that residents avoid the area which is currently blocked off with security tape and fencing.

“The rest of the park remains open although the restrooms in the North Veterans Memorial Park are temporarily closed. The north and south entrance to Poolside Drive and the west entrance to the pool’s parking lot has also been closed,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins indicated that the cleanup process should be short in nature and that there is no and was no hazard posed to the public as result of the spill.

“I know it is a frequent battle cry, but if we are going to err it will be on the side of caution,” Jenkins said.

He continued by saying that the cost of the cleanup and any cost incurred by the city regarding labor and/or materials will be covered by Brenntag and not local taxpayers.