At least 2,000 gallons of nitric acid were spilled Friday morning when a valve was knocked from a tank, briefly shutting down traffic along E. Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.
The spill at Hawkins Inc. leaked out of the company's containment system and poured between 600 and 700 gallons of the acid into storm drains, said Fire Department spokesman Bryan Tyner.
"We have it contained and there are no life safety concerns," Tyner said.
As far as hazardous chemical spills go, nitric acid is one of the easier ones for fire crews to handle, he said.
Firefighters were able to corral the highly corrosive acid within storm pipes by using containment booms, starting far enough away from the spill that no traces of the acid were found, and working their way in until it was spotted. Once found, crews neutralized the acid with soda ash and then flushed the pipes clean with water, Tyner said.
"The only product that we have found was right in the immediate area of the facility, so it doesn't appear it was able to travel very far," he said.
The company was evacuated as a precaution, but no injuries were reported.
The spill occurred when a valve was knocked off a 10,000 gallon stainless-steel tank, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Fire officials originally said that a total of 5,700 gallons spilled out of the tank. Richard Erstad, Hawkins general counsel, said it was closer to 2,100 gallons.
