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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 25, 2004 Chemical spill closes I-5 briefly By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Interstate 5 was closed briefly early Sunday and traffic was slowed during the day while firefighters cleaned up an herbicide spill. Oregon State Police closed the freeway in both directions after a southbound twin-trailer truck overturned around 11:10 p.m. Saturday near milepost 6, rupturing two 250-gallon drums of weed- killer. Both northbound lanes were reopened by 6 a.m. and one southbound lane was reopened by 7 a.m., said Ken Kennedy, a dispatcher for Oregon State Police. State police closed the freeway as a precaution while they determined what had spilled, Kennedy said. "They weren’t letting anybody up there for anything," said Khalil Perez, of Ashland, who works at Callahan’s Lodge, the restaurant and motel near milepost 6. Advertisement Northbound traffic was diverted at exit 1, near Hilt. Southbound traffic was diverted at milepost 11, at the southern edge of Ashland. Dan Marshall, chief of Jackson County Fire District 5, said firefighters trained and equipped to deal with hazardous materials had essentially completed their cleanup by 6:30 a.m. Marshall said much of the herbicide that spilled soaked into the ground. Lt. Gregg Hastings said in a press release that the truck driver apparently swerved to avoid a deer and lost control of the rig, which overturned on the freeway shoulder. The lead trailer carried five 250-gallon drums of Weedar 64, an herbicide manufactured by Nufarm Inc, of St. Joseph, Mo. The rear trailer was empty. The herbicide kills broadleaf plants and is used in agriculture and forestry to kill unwanted vegetation. It is commonly known as 2,4-D, a shortened version of its chemical name: 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. The same basic herbicide is produced by many manufacturers and sold under a variety of brand names. State officials were concerned because some of the herbicide spilled into a drainage ditch that empties into the west fork of Carter Creek, a tributary of Emigrant Creek. Hastings said representatives from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as the Department of Transportation were at the spill site to assess possible environmental damage from the herbicide. The truck that overturned is owned by Oak Harbor Freight Lines, of Oak Harbor Wash. Mike Gardner, a spokesman for the trucking company, said the driver, Leonard Miller, 58, of Newark, Calif., was not injured in the accident. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s