EPA Launches Criminal Investigation Into Smyrna Creek Chemical Spill: Report

SMYRNA, GA — The EPA has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into a chemical spill into a Cobb County creek almost two weeks ago.

But the company responsible for spill, Apollo Technologies in Smyrna, told Channel 2 that has not been contacted by the EPA about the August 13 incident, in which 2,300 gallons of an automotive cleaning solvent spilled into the creek.

Apollo Technologies, located South Cobb Industrial Boulevard, said a faulty gasket caused the accident. It also said the tank that spilled the solvent into the creek has been taken out of service and will no longer be used for any purpose.

The company also said that its spill retention system broke down during the incident, which further complicated the problem.

See also: Company That Caused Chemical Spill Suspending Operations
Thousands of Gallons of Chemicals Spill Into Smyrna Creek

Hazmat crews worked throughout the weekend of August 13 and the following week to clean up the mess. The spill caused the creek, which runs into several nearby neighborhoods and into a lake, to turn milky white and give off a strong smell.

The company said the spill's visual impact on the water is improving. It said it is also draining all of its mixing tanks.

"We have hired a professional engineer, Washington Engineering and Architecture, to evaluate the design of the mixing room and determine the reason the containment failed," said Geoff Ladue, COO of Apollo's parent company, PLZ Aeroscience.

But nearby residents are still concerned not only about the spill, but the plant's overall safety.

Dana Mcpherson, who has lived in the Kenwood subdivision for five years, was alerted to the spill at about 2 a.m. Saturday morning when a neighbor told him the creek was white.

Mcpherson followed the creek upstream to find the source of the pollutant. After seeing the white chemical coming through a storm drain, he tracked the chemical to Apollo Technologies.

“From the driveway, you could see all this white stuff running down the hill,” he said. “I witnessed (a worker) hosing it down into the storm drain.”

Image Courtesy of Dana McPherson