RAPID CITY, S.D. – Just before noon today, firefighters from Rapid City Fire Department Stations 1, 3 and Hazmat crews from Station 6 responded to a reported oil spill in the 600 block of Deadwood Avenue. When crews arrived, they found a dark colored liquid flowing downhill from Dale’s Tire and Retreading, behind Napa and Corner Pantry, downhill to the area of Cement Plant Road. Crews immediately began the process of diking and damming to prevent the spread of the material and to prevent material from entering a waterway or storm drain.
Personnel on scene met with management from Dale’s Tire to obtain information on the material. The material, known as Beet Juice Tire Ballast, is produced by Rimguard. According to the material safety data sheets (MSDS) provided by Rimguard, the product is an organic compound used for ballast in tractor tires. According to the MSDS, the material is non-toxic, biodegradable and contains no hazardous components. According to staff at Dales tire, the material is much like molasses in that it is very sticky and messy.
RCFD crews on scene continued defensive operations to ensure the product was not allowed to spread further. Despite MSDS information that the material is soluble in water and non-toxic, great care was taken to prevent the material from entering potential waterways. The City of Rapid City Public Works was on scene to assess if the product had entered the stormwater system. At the time of this release, it is believed that the product was stopped before reaching the stormwater system.
The container holding the Beet Juice was damaged by a forklift that struck the tank valving. The container holds up to 1,400 gallons of material. Approximately 800 gallons were reported to have been in the container at the time of the incident. Staff at Dales tire transferred over 400 gallons of the product to different containers on the property.
There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
