Highway 97 is on track to reopen late Tuesday night after a big rig leaked 60 gallons of concentrated and extremely toxic herbicide onto the highway in Dorris, north of Weed.
Traffic should resume in the northeastern California town near the Oregon border when the emergency response team is done with the cleanup — likely around 9 p.m., Director of Emergency Services Bryan Schenone said on Tuesday evening, March 17.
When cleanup is done and the area is deemed safe, he said the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office will lift the “shelter in place” order, in effect for Dorris residents since Tuesday morning.
Siskiyou County and state officials warned people to stay indoors after the rig overturned before 8:30 a.m., spilling paraquat on the highway and downtown, Schenone said.
Some of the herbicide splashed on passing cars, prompting the OES to warn the Highway 97 drivers to wash their vehicles thoroughly with soap and water.
One person driving through town at the time of the spill was taken to Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka for possible paraquat poisoning. They were released later that afternoon, Schenone said.
Paraquat is a “nasty” toxic substance, he said, but the slow leak gave the team time to mitigate the spill’s effects. “We were able to block (drains) and throw down drain stops” in town, and most of the chemical pooled on the gravel.
The sheriff’s office, California Highway Patrol and California and Oregon departments of transportation helped with the cleanup and diverted traffic along Highway 97 during the closure, Schenone said.
Original story
Toxic chemical spill closes Highway 97 in Siskiyou County
Siskiyou County and state officials closed part of Highway 97 north of Weed, and warned people in the northeastern town of Dorris to stay indoors Tuesday morning after a “highly toxic” chemical spill in town. They also warned drivers who visited Dorris after the spill to clean their vehicles.
The California Department of Transportation reported the highway is closed starting 12 miles north of Weed to 2 miles south of the Oregon border. The closure is due to a HAZMAT incident involving a disabled big rig blocking the road “just north” of Dorris, Caltrans said.
“The chemical spilled is Paraquat (Gramoxone), a highly toxic herbicide that can be fatal if inhaled or ingested,” the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said and noted the toxin can be airborne.
The spill happened in downtown Dorris Tuesday morning, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Sage Milestone. Deputies plan to keep the shelter in place order active until they are sure there’s no risk to the public. “We don’t have a projected time for when the cleanup will be completed yet,” Milestone said Tuesday afternoon, but a company is working on cleaning up the toxin.
Light winds blew in variable directions around the spill area on Tuesday morning. “At most, the gusts are 4 or 5 mph,” said Tim Daldrup with the National Weather Service’s Medford branch. Those light winds will blow the air over Dorris toward the east by early afternoon, according to the forecast, he said.
CHP: Highway 97 motorists should expect delays and detours
The California Highway Patrol out of Yreka reported all lanes on Highway 97 are closed between the Agricultural Station and Dorris Hill.
Vehicles on either side of the Highway 97 closure should expect delays and plan to take alternative routes, the CHP said. Officers are screening northbound vehicles for Dorris residents at County Road A12.
As of 1 p.m., the following alternate route is open to passenger vehicles only, the sheriff’s office said: For those northbound on Highway 97, head east on Shady Dell Road, go north on East Butte Valley Road, then go north on Dorris/Brown, and finally go north on Center Street to get back on Highway 97.
Commercial vehicles are not allowed on that route, the sheriff’s office said. These vehicles must wait at checkpoints at either end of the highway closure.
The CHP said there was no estimate on when the spill would be cleaned up or the highway reopened.
Siskiyou sheriff requests residents near Highway 97 in Dorris to ‘shelter in place’ during toxic spill
The sheriff issued the “Shelter in Place” warning at 10:20 a.m. for people living in Dorris — located roughly 7 miles south of the Oregon border — in zone DOR-4106, located east of Matthews Road and north of Richardson Road; and zone DOR-4112, west of Dorris Brownell Road and north of Richardson Road.
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People in the area should do the following while Siskiyou County’s emergency response team works to make the area along the highway safe, the sheriff’s office said. Until then, “we encourage everyone in the affected area to” do the following:
Anyone who thinks they were exposed to the toxin by air or touch should “call 911 immediately,” the sheriff’s office said.
Emergency Services Office: Motorists who drove through Dorris Tuesday morning should wash their vehicle
Motorists who drove through Dorris on Tuesday morning should clean their vehicles immediately, the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services said.
The recommendation applies to anyone who drove in or through Dorris after the toxic spill and before the CHP closed Highway 97.
“Out of an abundance of caution, please wash your vehicle with soap and water or take it through a car wash to help remove any potential residue,” the agency said on Tuesday afternoon.
This story was updated to add new information and a video.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal , Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding’s Future. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Toxic chemical spill closes Highway 97 in Siskiyou County
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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