SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah, March 20, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Crews are cleaning up after more than 200 gallons of white paint spilled from a truck in South Salt Lake Wednesday afternoon.
South Salt Lake Police public information officer Sgt. Gary Keller told Gephardt Daily the incident occurred just before 12:10 p.m. when a contract truck for the Utah Department of Transportation was heading westbound on 3300 South in the area of 300 West.
The truck is used to paint lines on the road and has a 250 gallon tub of paint on either side, one yellow and one white, both contained in wire frames, Keller said.
The load shifted, causing a spigot to rip out of the tub on the right hand side of the truck, which was carrying white paint.
The truck, which was traveling in the lane next to the curb, then spilled paint from 300 West to 900 West, Keller said.
South Salt Lake Fire Battalion Chief Shane Conrad told Gephardt Daily that tub lost approximately 225 gallons of paint. The paint is water based, he said, so crews are not dealing with a Hazmat situation.
Conrad said most of the paint dried on the roadway, and crews have poured sand onto the spots that are not yet dry. Fire crews will use a hydro-sprayer, which is used to take up old striping from the road, to remove the paint, Conrad said.
He added that anyone that had their vehicle spattered by the paint should go to a car wash as soon as possible, and the paint should come right off.
Conrad said that traffic is flowing normally, but the lane next to the curb is still closed while paint is cleared up. As of 3:30 p.m., there was no estimated time that it will reopen.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
