Clean up continues on Harrison County anhydrous spills

Clean-up of soil contaminated by two seperate anhydrous ammonia spills continued yesterday in Harrison County. The first leak began Tuesday when a semi truck and tanker hauling anhydrous ammonia overturned into an unnamed tributary of the South Picayune Creek near Woodbine. The second leak occurred as crews worked to remove the tanker from the creek. Natural and man-made dams helped to contain the spread of contaminated water, which has since been removed. The D-N-R was working to pump fresh water into the creek late Friday afternoon, and when the ammonia levels return to normal, the man-made dams will be removed. Officials say at least 93 fish, valued at nearly 770 dollars, were killed. The D-N-R says those numbers are lower than expected in part, because many fish had already migrated downstream for the winter.