3,500 gallons of liquid asphalt spilled in Mississippi County

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Cleanup was underway Wednesday of an estimated 3,500 gallons of liquid asphalt released when a valve on the truck delivering the material malfunctioned Tuesday evening in Mississippi County, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was notified late Tuesday night by an official with the Missouri Department of Transportation that a truck delivering the asphalt to a MoDOT facility in Charleston lost its entire load when a valve broke or otherwise malfunctioned. The asphalt flowed into a nearby 250-square-foot marshy area, but steps were taken to prevent it from moving farther.

The department dispatched an environmental emergency responder from its regional office in Poplar Bluff to assess the environmental damage and oversee the cleanup.

The delivery contractor, Eagle Valley Trucking, Shawneetown, Ill., has hired an environmental contractor to conduct the cleanup under department oversight.