ANAHEIM : Cleanup of Spill Closes Freeway Lane

Monday morning’s rush hour on the Riverside Freeway was slowed by a lane closure as California Department of Transportation workers finished cleaning up 500 pounds of sewage sludge that had spilled from a truck the previous night, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP officers had closed all eastbound lanes between Magnolia Avenue and Brookhurst Road from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. because of the spill at 9:20 p.m. Sunday. Traffic had been diverted to the southbound Santa Ana Freeway.

By about 7 a.m., morning commuters were allowed back on the Riverside Freeway and only the No. 3 lane remained closed. It was reopened about 10 a.m.

The spill occurred when the back gate on the truck, carrying waste from a sewage treatment plant in Carson to a farming company in Yuma, dropped open as the truck traveled east on the freeway near Magnolia Avenue, Officer Denise Quesada said.

The truck pulled to the shoulder and stopped near the Brookhurst Road exit, Quesada said.

The thick oily gunk, which spilled over half a mile of freeway, caused six minor accidents as cars slid to the sides of the road or rear-ended each other. There were no major injuries, Quesada said. By midday, only the “fragrance” of the spill remained, she said.

“It smelled bad last night, but I’m sure it will get worse as the temperatures heat up,” she said.