Public SafetySaturday, November 7
A chemical mix-up at Allentown's water plant triggered a shelter-in-place order that ended Friday night
The Daily Allentown team
A routine chemical delivery to the Lehigh County Authority's water plant at 1300 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive went wrong Friday morning. LCA's Taylor Stakes said sodium hypochlorite apparently went into the wrong tank, where it mixed with polyaluminum chloride. The mix created a hazardous vapor inside, and the building was evacuated.
Officials lifted the shelter-in-place order about 6:30 p.m. Friday
- 10 a.m.Around 10 a.m., chemical mix reported at the plant; building evacuated.
- 10:45 a.m.Around 10:45 a.m., Fire Capt. Jon Hammel says vapor is contained to the structure.
- AfternoonShifting winds lead officials to expand the shelter-in-place area.
- 6:30 p.m.Around 6:30 p.m., the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
Sources: LehighValleyLive.com, WFMZ
Your tap water stayed safe, officials said, and the plant kept running normally. Mayor Matt Tuerk and LCA CEO Liesel Gross briefed the media Friday while the cause remained under investigation. LCA rebranded in October as LCA WaterWorks.
- Closed Friday evening: MLK Jr. Drive, South 10th to South 15th streets
- LCA Customer Care office on MLK Jr. Drive: closed Friday
- Air outside the building: readings at zero Friday evening
The order reached about 1,300 residents within a half mile
- 1,300
- residents under the shelter-in-place order
- 5
- employees sent to the hospital as a precaution
- ½ mile
- roughly the radius the order covered
Source: WFMZ
Want updates? We'd follow the Allentown Fire Department's Instagram, where Capt. Jon Hammel said he expected information to be shared.
Sources: LehighValleyLive.com, WFMZ, Lehigh Daily