A worker at the Parsons Water Treatment Plant on Friday morning was injured when changing a chlorine tank.
City Manager Jeff Cantrell said the accidental chlorine exposure happened about 11:30 a.m. Friday. The worker was transported by ambulance to Labette Health, where he was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.
Cantrell said the chlorine room has all the required safety power vents and alarms. The accident happened when the worker was hooking up a new tank inside the room. He said the worker got out of the room quickly but not quick enough.
He said he could not release more information until the report is finalized. He said the safety equipment was working as required.
The water treatment plant provides water to about 4,700 customers in and around Parsons. The average annual production of the Parsons Water Treatment Plant is 1.5 million gallons per day (MGD) or approximately 550 million gallons per year. The majority of the plant has the capacity to treat 4.5 MGD, according to the city of Parsons website.
Currently, the city’s only source of water is Lake Parsons and water flows from there in Labette Creek to the city’s intake system.
The city is currently looking for a second water source.
