Columbus Air Force Base received the all-clear Friday afternoon after a fire retardant foam spill at the base about 48 hours earlier.
The system that automatically dispenses the foam went off in the middle of the night, sending foam into the sewer, base public affairs chief Rick “Sonic” Johnson said late Friday afternoon.
Base officials closed the storm gate to contain the material on base, he said.
Johnson did not know the amount of foam released and said base officials are investigating why the dispenser went off. Nothing happened at the base to trigger the release.
Jay Lacklen, a military retiree, said he was on the base golf course about 2 p.m. and noticed something awry.
“I don’t know what’s in there, but the turtle knew not to go back in,” he said.
Lacklen said holes No. 2 and 3 were flooded. A turtle he normally sees at the second hole that runs from him into the water did not do so upon his approach Friday afternoon.
He said he noticed an odor at the water.
Johnson said the foam is made of alcohol and soap. Base officials diluted it with water, which caused the golf course to flood. They used a vacuum truck to suck it off the ponds. Sunlight breaks down the foam, he said, which presented no danger and is why the golf course wasn’t closed.
Representatives from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality were on scene at 10 a.m. Friday morning to observe, Johnson said, but no off-base resources were used for cleanup. The base biologist consulted during the incident.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.