Access to the former Guelph Correction Centre grounds remains closed, as crews clean up an acid spill that occurred just outside the Cargill meat processing facility on Dunlop Drive Tuesday morning.
As of just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, a spokesperson for Guelph Police said clean up is anticipated to take another three to four hours.
Guelph Fire is investigating the cause of the spill, said police,.
The public is asked to continue to avoid the Watson Parkway and Dunlop Drive area, including the trails at the former correction centre property.
In an email, a spokesperson for Cargill said a peracetic acid leak occurred outside the plant Tuesday morning.
"First and foremost, we want to confirm that the affected area has been roped off, and there are no ongoing threats to personal safety outside of that roped off area," spokesperson April Nelson said.
Three employees were treated on-site for irritant to eyes. One employee was sent to hospital for irritant to the skin "out of an abundance of caution," Nelson said.
Plant management immediately called emergency response teams and the ministries of environment and labour upon finding the spill, Nelson said.
The plant was shut down while mitigation efforts were conducted. Cargill is now in the process of restarting the facility under the guidance of the fire chief, she said.
Initial testing by the City of Guelph and Ministry of the Environment indicates the spill did not reach the river, Nelson said.
