Pearl, Miss– This morning, September 19, 2022, at 9:04 a.m. on-site safety personnel were notified of an alarm at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. Officials identified a chlorine leak in the chemical building. All personnel were evacuated immediately from the chemical building. That building is designed to have air scrubbers to keep chlorine from leaving the structure and reportedly worked as designed. Ridgeland Fire Department, Jackson Fire Department Hazmat Team and O.B. Curtis maintenance staff identified three leaking valves and secured the area. No other evacuations of surrounding areas were necessary.
“The chemical building at O.B. Curtis is an area where increased focus needs to occur to abate additional safety hazards. We continually work to improve the safety of this facility. While this was a chlorine leak, the Mississippi State Department of Health engineers monitored the water disinfection during the leak; the disinfection process was uninterrupted, water being distributed to the public is still safe for consumption as long as you follow MSDH precautions,” says Jim Craig, MSDH Incident Commander.
Click here for more on the precautions listed by MSDH.
No injuries occurred and fire officials gave the all-clear at 11:08 a.m.
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