MERCER COUNTY, WV (WOAY)- On Tuesday, February 6th, a tractor-trailer hauling about 3,200 gallons of glue caught on fire on Interstate 77. The glue then got into the East River overnight.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said in an initial statement on Wednesday that, the material that spilled into the East River was a water-soluble glue that is non-toxic and similar to Elmer’s glue. They responded to the event on Tuesday and coordinated with Mercer County emergency management and first responders in monitoring the situation.
I talked to a resident along the East River and he explained what it was like seeing it.
“Overnight all that glue and what they sprayed started down the creek into this stream,” said John Mathena, a resident along the East River. “And the whole top of the stream was quite foamy and the water was all grey.”
He even showed us how thick the foam was. He even told us a local quarry was cautious with the water.
“Well, they said it wasn’t nothing to worry about but the quarry up here they back in here to get water for the truck to take up to the quarry,” explained Mathena. “They made that guy dump the water back into the creek and go above the spill to pick his water up to spray on the gravels.”
