Acid spill; houston ship channel, tx

Original warning text

Phosph. Acid Spill; Houston Ship Channel, TX.
Houston Ship Channel, TX.
1. The NOAA SSC was notified by MSO Houston of a chemical spill at approximately 1830 hours last evening (11 Jan.). The spill was the result of heavy rains and a "weak" containment dike (this is a simplified characterization of the problem). One report estimated 35,000 lbs of phosphoric acid diluted into a "million" gallons of water was released into a small ditch which eventually emptied into the Houston Ship Channel. A verbal assessment of the behavior of the chemical and possible risks was provided after contacting Dr. Ed Overton at LSU for his chemistry prospective and a review of the CAMEO data. Water monitoring had already began using a pH meter. The verbal results passed to the SSC indicated that the ditch was at pH 2 (bottom of the acid scale). However, within 40 feet of entering the ship channel, the values were neutral or background. These may have only been surface readings, so [...]
2. COMMODITY: PHOSPHORIC ACID. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 35000 GALLONS.
3. POSITION 29.733N 095.233W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 7532: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/7532