Two industrial spills occurred along Clemens, Fairgrounds and Forty Foot roads two weeks ago, with cars being affected with foul odors.
For some motorists, last month really stunk – literally.
Two industrial wastewater by-product spills along Forty Foot, Fairgrounds, and Clemens roads near Clemens Food Group headquarters resulted in cars being infected with a foul odor that seems to never disappear – even after multiple car wash situations, according to social media reports.
The Hatfield Township business said the spills were not from its company, but a third-party vendor.
“Over the course of the last few weeks there have been two industrial wastewater bi-product spills from a third-party hauling vendor that was leaving our Hatfield facility. Immediately upon learning of the spills, Clemens Food Group personnel acted quickly to ensure they were contained and cleaned up appropriately,” said Clemens Food Group Senior Communications Manager Stephanie Simon in a September 4, 2024 email to North Penn Now.
“While the spills posed no environmental threat, they did produce a foul odor and, in some cases may have affected the undercarriage of vehicles that drove through them,” Simon said. “Clemens Food Group is taking responsibility for ensuring that additional processes and protocols are in place to prevent/ensure these spills will not occur in the future, and our vendor is taking responsibility for any vehicles that were impacted by the spills.”
Vehicle owners with affected vehicles should email third-party hauler [email protected] for information on how to file a claim.
Further assistance is available at 1-800-743-1191 to contact a CFG representative.
The first wastewater spill was along Forty Foot Road in Hatfield and Towamencin townships.
CFG Communications Manager Amanda Piccirilli-Hall said CFG was made aware of the incident, which was an industrial wastewater by-product spill from a third-party hauling company contracted with CFG.
The hauler was taking materials from the CFG Hatfield facility, Piccirilli-Hall said.
“Measures were taken by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to contain and clean the spill,” she told North Penn Now in an email.
The second spill occurred in the area of Clemens and Fairgrounds roads on Aug. 31.
“Clemens Food Group can confidently say this was an accidental spill by a trusted 3rd party transportation company … and has nothing to do with the potential sale of the township’s sewer management system,” said Piccirilli-Hall in response to questions from North Penn Now. “As we mentioned before, we are committed to ensuring the highest environmental standards in, and around, the communities in which we have operations. We are closely working with our 3rd party vendor in regards to this incident.”
Piccirilli-Hall said last week that CFG recognizes it was the second such spill in as many weeks.
“Clemens Food Group …is actively investigating the circumstances around the situation. As more information is obtained, we will provide additional updates,” she said.
According to Simon, Clemens Food Group is a sixth-generation, family-owned company that is committed to operating its business with the strong values it has held for more than a century.
“One such commitment is ensuring the highest environmental standards in and around the communities in which we have operations,” Simon said.
