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Chlorine leaks at water plant injure nine
By CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- Several hundred people were evacuated from homes and businesses Monday after two chlorine leaks at the Hillsborough River Water Treatment Facility sent nine people to the hospital. One man was in serious condition. The first leak at the plant at 7125 N 30th St. occurred just before 9 a.m., when a valve burst and sent a white cloud of chlorine gas into the air, authorities said. The cloud drifted about a half-mile over the neighborhood west of the plant before dissipating, authorities said. Three plant workers near the leak -- Bill Hensel, 38, Leo Bachiochi, 58, and Ralph Dale Skinner, 43 -- were sent to St. Joseph's Hospital for treatment, along with two employees from nearby Precision Communications Services who complained of throat, eye and nose irritation. The plant was evacuated, along with the adjacent Rogers Park Golf Course. "They didn't waste any time getting people out of there," said Ed Hartzig, 52, a construction worker at the plant when the leak occurred. While workers waited outside, a second chlorine leak occurred about 11:15 a.m. Workers saw another cloud rise above the plant and dissipate. Three firefighters -- Danny Olegario, Mark Fernandez, and John Nicolette -- were treated for breathing trouble at Tampa General Hospital and released; another plant worker, Bernardo Menendez, 52, was sent there with minor chlorine burns on his arms. Menendez and fellow plant worker Bachiochi were released, while Skinner and Hensel were still being treated Monday evening, said water department spokesperson India Williams. Hensel, a utilities maintenance supervisor who has worked for the water department for 17 years, remained in the intensive care unit Monday evening. The status of the other patients was unavailable. After the second leak, firefighters ordered an evacuation of about 100 homes and businesses in a half-mile area west of the plant. The evacuation lasted about three hours. The water department said the plant, which was shut down after the second leak, was expected to be up and running again before the end of the day Monday. Water service was not affected. Chlorine is used at the water treatment plant to destroy harmful organisms in the water, but the chemical can cause severe respiratory damage if inhaled in large enough quantities. The cause of Monday's leaks remains under investigation. Tampa Fire Rescue Captain Bill Wade said the second cloud of chlorine was likely residual gas from the first leak. - Christopher Goffard can be reached at (813) 226-3337.
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