Company says milky white fluid in Chester Co. creek was nonhazardous, non-toxic
Over the weekend, officials in Chester County warned residents to stay out of the water in Goose Creek after a milky white substance that killed fish was found in the water in West Chester.
On Thursday, the company behind the spill of this fluid, Atmos Technologies in Newtown Square, provided information the substance.
In a statement, the company said that at about 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, the West Chester Borough was alerted to a milky white substance in Goose Creek.
This substance, the company said, came from a pipe at a facility located at 216 Garfield Avenue in West Chester and was “a manufactured product” that was “sold under the tradename AC-645.”
According to Atmos Technologies, the fluid is “produced at that site with its primary usage in Environmental Remediation clean-ups to reduce environmental pollution, minimize VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), and minimize/prevent negative odor releases into the atmosphere.”
“The product itself is nonhazardous, non-toxic, and fully biodegradable,” a statement from Atmos Technologies claimed.
The company said that after the source of the release of the substance was identified, at about 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, it was contained after the Department of Environmental Protection and West Chester Borough plugged the outfall pipe.
“Atmos Technologies has since utilized vacuum equipment to drain, rinse, recover, and remove residual material in the drainage pipe. DEP was present on-site on Sunday and Monday and reported clear conditions in the creek,” the company said in a statement.
The company claims the substance will not have any long-term impact on local wildlife or the ecosystem.
Moving forward, Atmos Technologies said it would continue working with the DEP and local agencies to ensure the affected area is cleaned.
“Our priority is the protection of the environment and the community in which we operate,” said Fred Rullo, CEO of Atmos Technologies, in a statement. “We are taking this incident seriously and are conducting a full investigation to address the issue.”
An investigation into this incident, the company said, remains ongoing.
