Crashed tanker truck spills 3,000 gallons of hot liquid asphalt on Creedmoor Road

State Highway Patrol troopers said the tanker was hauling the 300-degree asphalt when it overturned around 11 p.m. Tuesday on Creedmoor Road near Norwood Road. The road was closed in both directions north of Interstate 540.

The road reopened around 9 a.m., but officials said the cleanup will take two to three full days of work as crews will have to wade into the water of a nearby pond into which the asphalt leaked.

Authorities early Wednesday morning were building a dam around the pond to try to stop the flow, but some of the asphalt still got into the water.

Environmental crews said the asphalt was almost like taffy in the pond. Officials said a geologist first needs to check the pond before the asphalt can be pulled out.

Bill Wahlem, who owns the land, said the pond has been there for about 60 years. He said it's stocked with with, and he uses the water to irrigate his garden and greenhouses.

"The environmental damage concerns me," Wahlem said. "The cleanup, that’s their problem, that’s the insurance company’s problem. But no one can tell me what the potential environmental damage is."

Troopers did not say what caused the truck to overturn.

The driver was not seriously injured.