Sherwin-Williams plant spills 100 gallons of diesel fuel into Cuyahoga River: Cleveland HAZMAT

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – About 100 gallons of diesel fuel from the Sherwin-Williams manufacturing plant spilled into the Cuyahoga River on Jan. 22, the Cleveland Division of Fire confirmed.

Lt. Mike Norman said a generator from the Sherwin-Williams Breen Technology Center at 601 Canal Rd. spilled the diesel fuel into a storm drain at 9 a.m.

The storm drain feeds into the Cuyahoga River, so the HAZMAT crews were sent to the scene, according to Norman.

Booms and skimmers were deployed to contain most of the spilled fuel, Norman explained.

A private company was then hired to continue the environmental cleanup, Norman said.

Norman stated 85-90% of the spilled diesel fuel is expected to be recovered.

Sherwin-Williams provided the following statement to 19 News:

At approximately 5:45 am on Monday, January 22, 2024, The Sherwin-Williams Company discovered an acute diesel fuel line failure in its permanent site generator at the Company’s Breen Technology Center, located in Cleveland, OH. As Company personnel worked to address the issue, at approximately 7:30 am Company personnel identified that the diesel fuel had reached storm drains that lead into the Cuyahoga River. Company personnel immediately contacted the Cleveland Fire Department, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Coast Guard and a third-party hazardous materials remediation company, HEPACO, to assist with the cleanup. HEPACO is actively containing the diesel fuel spill estimated to be approximately 60 to 100 gallons. There were no injuries. The Company expects to have about 90% of the cleanup completed today, Monday, January 22. Containment materials will remain in the river until all recoverable diesel fuel is collected. The Company continues to investigate the cause of the spill and is prepared to take corrective action to fix or replace the permanent generator.