MEADOW CREEK, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A specialized weed-spraying truck designed for road and rail use overturned around 2:00 p.m. Tuesday near the 4100 block of Claypool Road in Summers County, spilling herbicides into a drainage stream that leads to Meadow Creek.
Emergency responders from Green Sulphur Springs (Station 12), Meadow Bridge, and Hinton Station 21 quickly arrived at the scene.
Crews used earthen dikes, spill pads, and booms to contain the leaked chemicals, which included both diluted and concentrated herbicides used to manage vegetation along railroad tracks.
Summers County Emergency Management notified the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spill hotline and the WV Watch Center, prompting additional state-level response.
West Virginia American Water was also alerted to monitor its downstream intake as a precaution.
A cleanup company is currently on site working to recover remaining fluids and begin environmental remediation of the affected areas.
Officials say there is no immediate threat to public safety or drinking water supplies.
The WV DEP, WV Emergency Management, the National Park Service, and Summers County Emergency Management will continue to monitor the cleanup process and the surrounding environment.
While the risk to aquatic life is considered low due to the stream’s flow and the nature of the herbicides involved, officials urge residents to report any sightings of dead fish or wildlife in Meadow Creek—between the Lower Loops railroad crossing and where it enters the New River—by calling 911 at 304-466-3333 or the DEP spill hotline at 1-800-642-3074.
