Skip to main content

Cleanup on I-35: Grones Environmental is on the Scene

Back to Volume 7, Number 4


When you hear the words "hazardous material cleanup," you might think of major events like ocean oil spills or damage from natural disasters. However, I-35 often needs the services of hazardous material (HazMat) cleanup crews after an incident as well.

Grones Environmental Service Ltd. is the contracted crew for many of I-35's hazardous messes. In business since 1976, the company was initially formed to perform underground storage-tank removals for gas stations.

"At that time the state was funding a reimbursement program to aid the station owners," says office administrator Tricia Grones. "When the assistance ran out, the station owners were no longer motivated to upgrade their existing systems, and Grones Ltd. began to branch out into other services."

The biggest service Grones branched into was the often-messy business of environmental cleanups.

Sometimes it can be obvious what a hazardous material consists of, but Grones says that sometimes it can be something you wouldn't normally suspect.

"The term hazardous materials has a very broad definition; some materials are deemed hazardous based on certain characteristics like ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity," says Grones. That means they can be any materials that are easy to ignite, can tear away at the highway's structure, or damage the surrounding vegetation. But if Grones is ever in doubt, they can always look to the big dogs in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "Other hazardous wastes are wastes that EPA has determined are hazardous," she says. "EPA has an extensive list of wastes that are hazardous."

HazMat team collects debris

Grones Environmental's HazMat team collects debris from a tractor-trailer fire.


Grones Environmental Service is called out to many kinds of cleanups along I-35, but their most common call comes when a crash has caused a release of diesel fuel onto the road. Spilt diesel, besides being messy, can also be very dangerous to motorists. "These materials on the highway can make it very unsafe for motorists," Grones explains. "The surface can become very slick, causing motorists to lose control of their vehicles, leading to a possible increase of more accidents."

To keep themselves and the public safe, Grones Environmental's crew members take every precaution they can. They use specialized personal protective equipment for themselves and close off roads and highways to make sure motorists are not driving through dangerous situations. Arriving on the scene as quickly as possible and knowing exactly how to react once there reduce the danger involved for every affected party, as well as minimizes the time required for cleanup. Grones describes an incident in which they were called in to clean up a fuel spill near a busy retail center.

material and soil from a cleanup is placed in a special container

Contaminated material and soil from a cleanup is placed in a special container for transport to Grones' certified hazardous material dump site.


"In the case of large-quantity spills consisting of unleaded gasoline, you have to worry about possible explosions from the vapors," she says. "Prior to dispatching our team, we saw live news coverage of vehicles driving through the spilled gasoline, so upon arrival, measures were taken by Grones Environmental to evacuate the nearby businesses, and all traffic in the area was detoured."

From time to time, Grones Environmental also receives calls outside of the usual diesel spills or wreckage cleanups; a few years ago, a tractor-trailer transporting thousands of live bees was involved in a crash, leading to the damage of several hive boxes and releasing some of the bee colonies. The crew was called out initially for the spilled fuel involved in the accident but found they had arrived on a more unpredictable scene. "Our protective gear was really useful that day," Grones says.

While cleanups can take anywhere from one to several hours, depending on the severity of the situation, Grones says it's important to remember that the cleanups are crucial for the safety of the public. "It is imperative that only qualified HazMat teams with the necessary equipment are on standby for these emergencies," Grones says. "Grones Environmental always strives to provide the most efficient response to any spill release."

Back to Volume 7, Number 4

My35 logo

Central Texas News

Contact

Jake Smith
I-35 Public Information Officer
254-867-2705
Contact My35

TxDOT Waco District
100 S. Loop Drive
Waco, TX 76704

©2022 Texas Department of Transportation • All Rights Reserved