Portsmouth Fire, Others Suppress Chlorine Leak at Lawton Valley Water Treatment Plant

Crews from the , as well as several other agencies, quickly contained a dangerous chlorine leak coming from a tank at the Lawton Valley Water Treatment Plant early Friday morning.

Workers at the plant, operated by the city of Newport, called the fire department shortly after midnight Friday.

"We responded after receiving a call from workers, who heard the chlorine alarm," said Portsmouth Fire Chief Jeffrey P. Lynch. "They smelled fumes and saw a vapor coming out from underneath a doorway."

An automatic safety device at the plant shut off the leak. No illnesses were reported.

The safety valve prevented any further leaks and managed to completely stop the leak in one of the tanks. Crews stayed on scene for another five and a half hours to make sure the building was ventilated.

The building was empty at the time of the leak. The employees were working in a separate building on the plant's campus. 

No nearby neighborhoods were evacuated. The plant is located on West Main Road not far from and .

The leak occurred at one of the tanks inside the chlorine storage building. There are currently six chlorine tanks located at the plant, including one empty tank. The entire plant stores five tons of chlorine, according to the chief.

This is the first chlorine leak to occur at the Lawton Valley Water Plant, according to Lynch. "I can't recall one ever being there before," he said.

Portsmouth fire crews called the East Providence and Navy HAZMAT teams, as well as the Newport Fire Department, to assist at the scene. Middletown and Tiverton Fire Departments also offered mutual aid.

Correction: A previous report incorrectly stated how the safety valve was turned on. The safety valve automatically turned on by itself at the time of the leak.