Chemical spill closes Kuhio Highway

LIHUE — County officials were forced to shut down Kuhio Highway in Kapaia following a chemical spill Tuesday morning that left a strong odor of bleach lingering in the area.

A truck carrying multiple containers of hypochlorite solution, a water treatment agent, was northbound on Kuhio Highway near Maalo Road around 8:30 a.m. when one of the tie-down straps broke, causing two of the containers to spill onto the roadway, according to a preliminary report.

DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the 12-percent bleach solution was being transported for laundry services by BEI Hawaii, the state’s largest distributor of agricultural and industrial chemicals.

“At least 330 gallons of solution spilled on the road and along the sides of the road,” she wrote in an email.  

The county said the truck was on its way to a private utility company in Princeville when the incident occurred. 

A representative of BEI Hawaii declined to comment after being reached by phone Tuesday afternoon.

Kuhio Highway remained closed until 10:30 a.m. while a HAZMAT crew worked to neutralize the spill. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were necessary, according to county officials.

“The state Department of Health has determined that the spill has been sufficiently contained and neutralized and is now safe,” county spokeswoman Sarah Blane wrote in an email at 10:40 a.m.

Officers with the Kauai Police Department redirected traffic onto Laukona Street for two hours until the cleanup was complete.

Following an on-site inspection, DOH staff collected water samples and determined the solution did not reach nearby Hanamaulu Stream.

“The responsible party neutralized the spilled material and collected the liquid that had ponded,” Okubo wrote. “The solution absorbed into the ground will naturally decompose over time.”

The department did not issue any water contamination advisories or warnings following the incident.