Mandan Man Cited in Substance Spill

On Thursday, Sept. 13, at 11:44 a.m., North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers were called to Exit 153 eastbound on-ramp in Mandan regarding a brown sticky substance on the roadway. The substance was spread out along the on-ramp and had spilled onto Mandan Avenue. The substance was also found on Memorial Highway and Collins Avenue in Mandan. The scene was closed for safety reasons due to it being an unknown substance and possible health risk.

Mandan Avenue was closed for approximately 3 hours. The North Dakota Department of Health and Bismarck HazMat team responded to the scene. The substance was found to be 87% maple syrup and possibly used for cattle feed and deemed not to be hazardous. Cleanup was completed by ND Department of Transportation.

The responsible party of the leaking substance was found September 13. The driver was identified as Cody Hatzenbuhler, Mandan. NDHP Troopers followed the trail of syrup to his residence. The tank on the vehicle broke spilling all of the approximately 200 gallons of liquid when Hatzenbuhler turned to merge eastbound onto Interstate 94. The liquid was molasses used for cattle feed and was not hazardous. Hatzenbuhler was issued a citation for a leaking load.

Agencies involved include the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Mandan Police Department, ND Department of Health, ND Department of Emergency Services, Bismarck Fire HazMat Team, Mandan Fire Department, and ND Department of Transportation.