Chlorine leak at wastewater plant forces brief evacuation
By CHRIS TISCH
Published February 25, 2004
DUNEDIN - A chlorine leak at the city's wastewater treatment plant Monday turned out to be more stubborn than originally thought, briefly forcing the evacuation of a handful of people and keeping firefighters working until early Tuesday morning.
About nine people were evacuated from two multifamily homes about 2 a.m. but were allowed to return within a half-hour, said Dunedin District Chief Chris Bengivengo.
They lived near the city's wastewater treatment plant, 1140 Highland Ave., where a sensor first alerted workers of a chlorine leak about 4:30 p.m. Monday. After plant workers could not halt the leak, they summoned the fire department about 6 p.m.
Tests showed the amount of chlorine leaking was less than 3 parts per million, much less than the 15 parts per million that usually causes the first signs of irritation.
Respiratory problems start at about 100 parts per million, Bengivengo said.
But pinpointing and stopping the leak proved more tricky than first expected. Crews later summoned a private industry response team from Tampa that specializes in stopping chlorine leaks.
Firefighters evacuated the two homes, which were in the 400 block of Harris Court, about 50 feet west of the facility, because of their proximity to the plant.
The residents, some of whom were sleeping when asked to leave, went to a waiting bus. Fire officials also offered them shelter at the senior center, but they chose to stay on the bus and wait for the all-clear sign.
At one point in the night, the possibility of a wind shift to the north had fire officials considering evacuating up to 100 homes. But the situation never came to that, Bengivengo said.
After the leak was sealed, firefighters left the plant about 4 a.m. The private crew from Tampa was at the facility until about 7 a.m. removing chlorine tanks, he said.
