Chemical spill in Neosho River causes Humboldt to shut down water plant

A Kansas town has shut down its water plant after a chemical spill possibly contaminated the river’s water.

The city of Humboldt in southeast Kansas asked residents in a public notice Thursday afternoon to conserve water.

“Due to a chemical spill in the Neosho River, the City of Humboldt will not be processing water until the threat has passed,” the notice said. “... Please do not fill containers. Limit water use to essential use. The water in our water towers is safe but in limited supply.”

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said in a news release that the conservation notice includes Allen County Rural Water Districts 9 and 10. The Humboldt Water Plant shut its intake down on Wednesday “as a precaution following possible contamination to the Neosho River,” KDHE officials said.

The KDHE said officials have sampled the river water and are waiting on results. Once testing clears the water, plant operation are expected to resume.

The river water was contaminated by chemicals spilled during a fire at Mid-West Fertilizer in nearby Iola, the Iola Register reported. Mid-West Fertilizer officials said in a Facebook post that its office building “took most of the hit” while the fertilizer building “remained untouched” by the blaze.

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 3:32 PM.