Company That Caused Chemical Spill Suspending Operations

SMYRNA, GA — The chemical plant responsible for dumping more than 2,000 gallons of an automotive cleaning solvent into a Cobb County creek on Saturday is suspending operations.

Apollo Technologies in Smyrna made the announcement Sunday night, reports Fox 5.

"Until we can determine exactly what happened and make sure the facility is safe, we don't want to go back into full scale production," said Geoff Ladue, the chief operating officer of PLZ Aeorscience, Apollo's parent company.

The spill came from the Apollo Industries plant on South Cobb Industrial Boulevard, according to a statement from the company.

"Early Saturday morning, 2,300 gallons of carburetor cleaner leaked from our Smyrna facility into a nearby creek," the company said. "Immediately upon discovery of the situation, we notified the local fire department, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and remediation firm Environmental Products & Services of Vermont, Georgia Division, which has extensive experience in this type of cleanup.

"As of Saturday afternoon, we were able to quickly dam the creek and contain the situation and are doing everything as quickly and safely as possible to clean this up. We worked with Environmental Products & Services of Vermont, Georgia Division to develop a plan, dammed the creek and are currently pumping the creek water into tanks for further remediation."

The company also said it is investigating the cause of the spill. "The safety of the community and our employees is our top priority,” it said.

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