An accident involving a semi resulted in calling the HazMat team on Highway 65/69 Friday morning, impeding traffic for multiple hours.

According to Indianola Fire Captain Thad White, a semi carrying agricultural chemicals went off the road at the intersection the Highway and Summerset Road. After emergency personnel responded to the crash, it was determined the truck was leaking hazardous materials, leading to the Des Moines Hazardous Materials team being called on scene.

Captain White tells KNIA News the danger with the hazardous materials was leaking into the nearby rivers.

“The chemical that they had was a herbicide in large quantity that was leaking out in one of the tanks it was carrying. It also had 6,000 gallons of water, and as that product was leaking and mixing with the water that spilled out, it was our worry that it would get into a nearby creek that leads to the Middle River, and that leads to the Des Moines River.

The Indianola Fire Department, Indianola Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Warren County Emergency Management, Des Moines Hazardous Materials, Midamerican Enerey, and other agencies were all on scene. Captain White said the leak had been contained and the semi will be removed from the scene soon.