Cleanup of 2nd Spill at Brewery Continues
Cleanup crews Tuesday continued mopping up the second chemical spill in less than a month that drained from the Anheuser-Busch brewery into Haskell Creek and flowed into the Sepulveda Basin wildlife area.
State wildlife officials said the caustic cleaning solution apparently killed a turtle and a few frogs and small carp, but that there were no signs of distressed waterfowl or other harm to the 108-acre wildlife area about 2 1/2 miles south of the Van Nuys brewery.
Nonetheless, authorities said it may be Friday before the cleanup is finished.
The latest spill involved 6,000 gallons of a solution of water and 3% sodium hydroxide. The brewery discharged about 5,400 gallons of the same material Jan. 27.
The accident was discovered early Monday by a city worker who found high levels of alkalinity in creek water samples.
The spill occurred during tank cleaning operations when a valve was inadvertently closed, forcing the cleaner to pour through roof vents and then into a storm drain that flows to Haskell Creek, plant manager Earl Burke said.
“It’s just another of these darn things that you wish hadn’t happened, but it did,” Burke said. “I really am very apologetic that it happened again.”
State water quality and fish and game officials said after the first spill that they would consider legal action against Anheuser-Busch.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
