Louisville sewer explosions

The Louisville sewer explosions were a series of explosions that destroyed more than two miles (3 km) of streets in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on February 13, 1981. The blasts were caused by the ignition of hexane vapors which had been illegally discharged from a Ralston-Purina soybean processing plant located near the University of Louisville. The plant, located on Floyd Street, is recognizable for its large, landmark silos, visible from Eastern Parkway and Interstate 65.

There were no fatalities, but Ralston-Purina paid $18 million dollars to the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer DistrictCitation
last = Bruggers
first = James
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Blasts ripped Louisville streets, spurred hazardous material law
newspaper = Louisville Courier-Journal
pages =
year = 2003
date = July 13
url = http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/2003projects/toxicair/0713/2wir-5-blast0622-7937.html] and more than $8.9 million to 16,000 plaintiffs in a lawsuit settled in 1984. The company admitted that it released hexane into the sewers, but denied negligenceCitation
last = Associated Press
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = AROUND THE NATION; Company Pays Millions In 1981 Sewer Explosion
newspaper = New York Times
pages =
year = 1984
date = December 9
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E4D61538F93AA35751C1A962948260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/S/Suits%20and%20Litigation] .

The event

The Ralston-Purina plant used hexane as a solvent to extract oil from soybeans. The plant employed a containment system designed to recycle used hexane from the process back to the plant. However, the containment system was not functioning that night, and a large quantity (estimated to be between several hundred and several thousand gallons) of hexane was released into the sewers. The hexane began to vaporize in the sewers and slowly began to seep out of manholes in the streetscite book
last = Vesilind
first =P. Aarne
authorlink =
coauthors = Thomas D. DiStefano
title = Controlling Environmental Pollution: An Introduction to the Technologies, History, and Ethics
publisher = DEStech Publications, Inc
date = 2005
location =
pages = 168
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=PB8W4bmPFgsC&pg=PA168&dq=1981+Louisville+sewer+explosion&sig=WxYbCtIW5nklloyM7KlevtMtdvY
doi =
id =
isbn = 1932078398] . At approximately 5:16 AM on Friday, February 13, 1981, explosions ripped through the southern part of Old Louisville near the University of Louisville. The cause of the explosions was eventually traced to a spark from a car near the intersection of 12th & Hill Streets, which ignited the hexane fumes in the sewers. The car was thrown onto its side from the force of the blast, and there was extensive damage to area homes, businesses, and streets. Police officers in a police helicopter that happened to be over the area at the time said it looked like a bombing run.Two miles (3 km) of the main sewer line were completely destroyed in the blast. Water lines were severed, leaving area residents without water for weeks.Luckily, the streets were nearly deserted since it was early in the morning, so no fatalities were reportedcite journal
last = American Society of Civil Engineers
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Guidelines for the Physical Security of Water Utilities
journal =
volume =
issue =
pages = 1–6
publisher = American Society of Civil Engineers
location =
date = 2006
url = http://www.asce.org/static/1/redirect.cfm?prmType=WISE&prmFile=1/06_Chapter_1_-_The_Contamination_Problem
doi =
id =
accessdate = 2007-10-18] .

Aftermath and legacy

In 1985, the city of Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky passed a hazardous materials ordinance in response to the disaster. This ordinance gave the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District the authority to regulate the handling of hazardous materials.

The incident has been cited by such entities as the American Society of Civil Engineersand the United States Government Accountability Office as an example of the need for increased security concerning the United States' wastewater systemsCitation
last = United States Government Accountability Office
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = GAO-05-165, Wastewater Facilities: Experts' Views on How Federal Funds Should Be Spent to Improve Security
date = January 2005
year =
url = http://www.gao.gov/htext/d05165.html
accessdate = 2007-10-18] , and by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an example of the dangers associated with discharges of hazardous waste to sewer systemscite journal
last = United States Environmental Protection Agency
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Introduction to the National Pretreatment Program
journal =
volume =
issue =
pages = 3
publisher = Diane Publishing Company
location =
date = February 1999
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=8bcWk5M0uX8C&pg=PA3&dq=1981+Louisville+sewer+explosion&sig=P-BaiwlsYw8KbueYOXGFP82gOKk#PPP1,M1
doi =
id =
accessdate = 2007-10-18] .Articles discussing the event have been published in "Environmental Geology"cite journal
last = Bennett
first = Gary F.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Impact of toxic chemicals on local wastewater treatment plant and the environment
journal = Environmental Geology
volume = 13
issue = 3
pages = 201–212
publisher = Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
location =
date = May 1989
url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/w28044628388047q/
doi = 10.1007/BF01665370
id =
accessdate = 2007-10-18] and "Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society"cite journal
last = Kingsbaker
first = C. L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Recent safety experiences
journal = Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
volume = 60
issue = 2
pages = 245–257
publisher = Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
location =
date = February 1983
url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/d394817147g78346/
doi = 10.1007/BF02543492
id =
accessdate = 2007-10-18] .

ee also

*History of Louisville, Kentucky
*1992 explosion in Guadalajara

References

Further reading

* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10915F73D5D0C7B8DDDAB0894D9484D81&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/W/Waste%20Materials%20and%20Disposal "New York Times" article]

External links

* [http://www.msdlouky.org/aboutmsd/history20.htm Metropolitan Sewer District of Louisville]