Photos courtesy of Office of Emergency Management
A semi truck rollover has closed Quartzville Road to traffic between Mileposts 26 and 34, while government agencies secure the area and figure out how to get the vehicle back onto the road, authorities said this afternoon, Dec. 17.
The closure for Forest Service Road 11, known locally as Quartzville Road, is expected to last until May, the U.S. Forest Service announced, following the rollover accident involving a semi truck loaded with slug pesticide.
“The closure order, which is for public health and safety, is in effect through
May 1, 2025, unless modified or rescinded sooner,” the USFS said in a statement.
The incident began shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, when the semi-truck and trailer carrying a shipment of pesticide rolled over near milepost 32 on a sharp turn on FSR 11 near Minniece Creek, which is a tributary of Quartzville Creek. The driver’s name was not immediately available.
The truck was carrying 42,000 pounds of Ortho Bug-Geta Snail & Slug Killer2, which is a solid pellet, not a liquid.
According to officials, there was a “small initial release” of the pesticide material spilled in the accident, but it has been cleaned up. The majority of the pesticide remains on the trailer, packaged and stable, said Erin Zysett, of the state Office of Emergency Management.
She said multi-agency efforts are under way to safely remove the truck and trailer and clear any potential hazards.
“This was not a chemical spill,” Zysett said. “This is a salvage operation. No chemicals were released into the environment.”
She said a small amount of diesel fuel also spilled, but also was immediately cleaned up and remaining fuel and fuel tanks have been drained.
Efforts are currently focused on stabilizing the semi-truck and trailer so that crews can safely access and remove the packaged pesticide. Following removal of the pesticide, crews will begin working to remove the vehicle, she said.
State DEQ officials are on the scene to monitor the situation, she said.
Zysett said the truck slipped off the road on a hairpin turn after the driver was directed by a Google app to take Quartzville Road.
“ I wouldn’t want to take it in my Kia,” Zysett said of the road in that location. “I would never want to drive it in a semi.”
To view the closure order, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices.