Albuquerque, N.M.-According to the New Mexico Environmental Dept., no action will be taken against Helena Chemical Co. for a July 29 spill of 350 gallons of liquid URAN at a local farm in Berino near Mesquite, where Helena operates a fertilizer warehouse. NMED spokeswoman Marissa Stone Bardino didn’t provide any details about the incident, but a Helena truck transporting the fertilizer reportedly hit a bumpy patch on a dirt road, which caused the spill. There were no injuries in the incident. A remediation contractor removed about 23 cubic yards of contaminated soil, replaced the soil with clean fill, and took samples for testing. Bardino told Green Markets the spill was reported to the department in accordance with water quality control commission regulations, and was properly cleaned up by the contractor. “A subsequent written report was submitted according to regulations detailing the event and the response actions,” Bardino reported. “Cleanup actions appear prompt and were reported in accordance with the rules, so there is no compliance action pending.” She did, however, advise the local press that the company took its time reporting the incident. “Helena had 24 hours to report the spill,” she said. “They reported it at 23 hours and 15 minutes.”
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