Units from the Henrico Division of Fire, including the division’s Hazmat team, have contained a discharge of ammonia vapor at the county’s Water Treatment Facility on Three Chopt Road. The discharge occurred during planned repairs by contractor employees.
Officials report that the discharge has been contained to an interior room of the WTF and does not pose an environmental concern or a health risk for residents or others in the area. The discharge also will not impact county water service, according to the Department of Public Utilities.
Henrico Deputy Fire Chief Doug Clevert said that at approximately 1:45 p.m., Hazmat team members entered the interior room of the WTF. They were able to identify and contain the ammonia vapor discharge within an hour.
Three of 10 contractor employees at the WTF may have been exposed to ammonia vapor while replacing ammonia scrubber equipment as part of a scheduled repair project. Before Henrico Fire units arrived, the affected contractor employees had transported themselves to a medical facility for evaluation. Henrico Fire officials have confirmed with the contractor that its three employees have been evaluated, were determined to be in stable condition and have been released.
All employees were evacuated from the facility out of precaution, and no other individuals sought or required medical treatment. No county employees were exposed to ammonia vapor in the incident. Public Utilities staff have been monitoring facility operations from other locations. Fifteen county employees typically work daily at the Water Treatment Facility.
“Henrico Fire’s Hazmat Incident Team is very experienced in responding to situations like this,” Clevert said. “We are currently working to safely ventilate the building before re-opening it. We thank the staff for working so quickly to address this concern.”
Virginia’s Emergency Operations Center, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Henrico Emergency Management & Workplace Safety and the Metro Richmond Flying Squad volunteers also have been involved in the response to the incident.