Watershed Protection Division's
First Responders

A key aspect of the Watershed Protection Division's (WPD) duties is to respond to hazardous chemical emergencies that impact the community or the watershed. A vivid example of this work occurred early last summer when stormwater inspectors responded to a large mercury spill in a residential neighborhood in Wilmington, a community in southern Los Angeles.

The incident took place two days earlier when several teenagers were allegedly playing with a 12-ounce Gatorade bottle full of mercury pellets, when they haphazardly spilled half of its contents on the sidewalk only 100 yards from an elementary school. It took almost three days before a local resident reported the accident to the proper authorities.

As soon as the City was notified of the spill they responded by dispatching inspectors to the scene immediately. One of the inspectors, Howard Wong, was at home when he received the City's call.

"When we get news about a spill, we'll respond within the hour," says Wong whose team was the first from WPD to respond to the accident. "I raced back to the office, picked up maps, my equipment, and got to the location as quickly as possible. I've been doing this type of work for 15 years, and I have never seen a mercury spill so large."

The contaminated area was significant, spanning 280 feet on one side of the alley and 60 on the opposite. Mercury droplets, ranging from pin-head size to half-inch were scattered throughout the reach. The total weight of all the droplets was between 2-3 pounds. Fortunately, Wong and his partner arrived well before the noxious element found its way into the storm drain system, where it could have caused an even larger public health problem.

"The fact that this happened so close to a school, and because we didn't hear about it until two days after it happened, one of our main goals was to inform the local residents about the spill," says Wong. "We wanted to make sure they knew they were safe. If they thought they might have tracked any of the substance in to their home, we wanted to let them know we would test their residence for vapors."

Mercury acts as a cumulative toxin building up over time in the human body. Ultimately, the noxious element can cause severe nervous system damage, impaired liver function, and even death if inhaled in significant doses. Children and the elderly are especially susceptible to mercury poisoning, which made this spill particularly dangerous given its proximity to an elementary school.

Inspector Wong was ultimately quite happy with the City's quick and thorough response. "I am proud to say that, after working around the clock for three days, our team cleaned up the mess and the neighborhood was safe again."