A tanker accidentally dumped a load of excrement on the southbound Interstate 65 exit ramp onto Indiana 18 northwest of Lafayette at approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Roughly 300-400 gallons of raw sewage were spilled, forcing the road to be closed while authorities cleaned it up.

The waste was about 6-8 inches deep in places. In addition, with the cold temperatures yesterday, it froze solid creating a “toxic poopsicle” as well as a traffic hazzard.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Kim Riley stated that troopers attempting to locate the driver of the truck were unsuccessful. He or she may not have even realized what happened until arriving at the wastewater treatment plant.

Cleanup crews from the Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the White County Health Department rallied together to remove the mess and reopen the road.

The ramp had to be salted and sanded to break up the frozen waste before INDOT could use a front loader to scrape the frozen excrement off the road, loading it into a dump truck to be hauled away. The process took several hours.

The ramp was able to be reopened around 7:30 p.m.

Source: Lafayette Journal & Courier