By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
GUM SPRINGS, Arkansas — At about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 11, 2025, a commercial truck hauling sand and metal overturned on Arkansas Highway 26, which connects Interstate 30 to U.S. Highway 67. During the rollover, the truck’s rolloff container became detached and its lid opened, spilling an as-yet unknown amount of ash onto the roadway.
Both lanes of the 2-mile stretch of highway remained shut by mid-morning as hazmat cleaning contractor CTS worked to clear the road of the spilled contents. The vehicle was en route to Veolia North America’s hazardous waste treatment plant in Gum Springs from Port Arthur, Texas, company officials confirmed. The accident happened about half a mile west of the Highway 67 junction.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality described the load as incinerator ash containing metals, company officials said. Veolia said most of the contents remained in the truck’s container, and that about 95% of the spillage was contained to a “thin layer” on the pavement. The metallic contents, according to Veolia, consisted mostly of shredded steel from steel drums.
Responding to the scene were the Clark County Office of Emergency Management, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Highway Police, ADEQ and the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Veolia said that CTS, which it contracts for cleanups, will be directed to take samples of the spillage once cleanup is complete.
“We’re happy the driver wasn’t seriously injured,” said Britt Scheer, director of facility affairs at Veolia’s Gum Springs facility. “The cleanup will be done today and does not pose a risk to the community or environment.”
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