UPDATE: Possible chemical spill shuts down Hwy 30 in Hammett

A two mile section of Hwy 30 was shut down for five hours last Thursday afternoon while authorities waited for an analysis of an unknown liquid that had spilled onto the roadway.

At about 5 p.m., Elmore County Dispatch was contacted by a Hammett resident reporting that he had noticed a yellowish liquid substance with a distinct chemical odor on a section of road between the railroad overpass and the labor camp. Deputies were dispatched to the scene and began blocking access to the area.

Travel was suspended on Highway 30 between Cold Springs Road to just east of the Hwy 78 and motorists were being turned back and advised to use I-84 to bypass the area.

No evacuation was ordered, but residents living adjacent to the road were contacted via telephone and advised to remain in their homes.

The regional response supervisor from State Communications, the Elmore County Incident Command vehicle and HazMat responded to the scene. HazMat crews sampled the substance and ascertained that it was the non-regulated, low risk, pre-emergent herbicide Prowl. The chemical is used for a variety of crops including edible beans, corn and alfalfa.

No clean up was necessary. HazMat officials anticipated the substance would deteriorate naturally overnight without posing a risk to humans.

The origin of the spill is still unknown.