By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The Fayette County Water Treatment Plant in Peachtree City was evacuated briefly Monday night after a chlorine spill was reported.

It took the Hazardous Materials Response Team just over an hour to get the leak plugged, but water employees were able to slow the leak considerably before that, said Peachtree City acting Fire Chief Stony Lohr.

The leak was likely caused by a faulty valve on a chlorine tank that was being put into use to replace an empty one, Lohr said. Chlorine is used as part of the water purification process, he added, and the spill didn't affect the rest of the plant since the chlorine is added to the water in a separate building.

The spill was originally reported at 5:30 p.m. and the leak was plugged permanently by 6:55 p.m., Lohr said. The spill never endangered any nearby neighborhoods, he added.

No one was injured at the scene, though chlorine has the potential to affect the respiratory system, Lohr said.

A total of 29 members from local rescue departments worked the incident, including some from the Fayetteville Fire Department and the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

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