Chemical spill cleaned up at The Centre of Elgin

A hazardous materials remediation company cleaned up a chemical spill early Friday morning at The Centre of Elgin, officials said.

The spill was cleaned on time for the facility - including the pool - to open normally Friday morning, a staff member said.

The Elgin Fire Department responded to the spill at the city facility at 100 Symphony Way at 12:14 a.m., Assistant Fire Chief Dave Schmidt said.

Fire officials were informed by staff members about an extensive leak from a 250-gallon hydrochloric acid tank in the pool filter room.

The Elgin police and fire departments evacuated the building.

Teams from Elgin and South Elgin fire departments donned level B, or moderate level, protective suits and went into the pool filter room, but couldn't locate the source of the leak, Schmidt said.

Testing of the leak showed the mixture contained 31 percent hydrochloric acid, he said.

The spill was mainly contained within the room, and no acid entered floor drains in the facility, he said. There was very minimal acid that spilled outside the room, which is fitted with raised curbing, designed to contain spills.

The hazmat company arrived at about 3 a.m., Schmidt said.