Ottawa officials making sure storage facility housing potassium permanganate stays safe

Ottawa city officials say a storage facility at the Southtowne Mall that stores potassium permanganate only handles the packaged product. Mayor Dan Aussem says people on social media criticized the city for storing the compound that rained on several homes in LaSalle during the Carus Chemical fire. City officials including Aussem toured the storage facility owned by Lotz Logistics and said the compound is safely secured behind a protective plastic containment vessel and secured behind an accessed controlled electronic cage. The facility also has a new fire alarm system, a sprinkler system, and security cameras that can be accessed by the Ottawa Police Department at any time. Aussem also says the staff meets requirements per the US Department of Homeland Security, HazMat certification, and OSHA training. The city also says they will continue to work with Lotz to make sure all safety measures are maintained and operated.