{
  "id": "2025-11-13-georgia-southern-university-rac-chemical-spill",
  "slug": "georgia-southern-university-rac-chemical-spill-2025-11-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Georgia Southern University",
    "shortName": "Georgia Southern",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "Eagle Alert",
    "enrollment": 27000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-11-13",
    "type": "chemical-spill",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Chemical spill, November 13, 2025",
    "summary": "A chemical spill in the indoor pool area of Georgia Southern University's Recreation Activity Center (RAC) prompted an evacuation on November 13, 2025. The spill involved [hydrochloric acid used in pool maintenance](https://www.wtoc.com/2025/11/13/chemical-spill-reported-rac-georgia-southerns-statesboro-campus/), and the facility was [closed for about an hour before an all clear was issued](https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/georgia-southern-university-evacuates-building-chemical-spill/7KGL43ABKFBAHGRIVPFGYWHPYQ/) with no reported injuries.",
    "outcome": "The hydrochloric acid spill was cleaned up with no risk to students, and the RAC reopened after about an hour. No injuries were reported.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of November 13, 2025, at the start of the RAC closure",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed; the instruction 'calmly evacuate the building using all available exits and move away from the building' is quoted from the Eagle Alert by WSAV, but the complete alert text was not recovered",
      "annotations": [],
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/gsu-recreation-center-temporarily-closed-due-to-chemical-spill/"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "About one hour after the evacuation began, afternoon of November 13, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Statesboro campus RAC update (All Clear). The chemical spill has been cleaned up; there is no risk to students. The RAC has been reopened for use. Students do not have to avoid the area or building. All classes that have already been moved remain moved.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "WSB-TV oembed of @GeorgiaSouthern RAC all-clear tweet",
      "annotations": [
        "Dual HTML + second-blind of the WSB-TV twitter-tweet oembed of @GeorgiaSouthern. sha256 989f2cdd2dac611a141ae2e55563bd3314c4dce028ccde5e76cedc495d90a277. Reconstruction was 104 chars; live official tweet is 253.",
        "Seq 1 stays unconfirmed."
      ],
      "characterCount": 253,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/georgia-southern-university-evacuates-building-chemical-spill/7KGL43ABKFBAHGRIVPFGYWHPYQ/"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Georgia Southern University's Recreation Activity Center (RAC) on the Statesboro campus houses an indoor pool whose water chemistry relies on stored acids and chlorinating agents. On November 13, 2025, [WTOC reported](https://www.wtoc.com/2025/11/13/chemical-spill-reported-rac-georgia-southerns-statesboro-campus/) a spill of hydrochloric acid in the indoor pool area that forced an evacuation, while [WSB-TV reported](https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/georgia-southern-university-evacuates-building-chemical-spill/7KGL43ABKFBAHGRIVPFGYWHPYQ/) the university issued an all clear after the spill was cleaned up with no risk to students. The RAC was closed for roughly an hour before reopening. Pool-chemistry spills are among the most common chemical incidents on campuses with aquatics facilities, and this episode resolved cleanly through evacuation, cleanup, and a quick all clear. Georgia Southern's Eagle Alert system is the named emergency-notification channel for the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The spilled substance was hydrochloric acid in the indoor pool area, a routine pool-maintenance chemical rather than an exotic hazard",
    "The RAC was evacuated and reopened within about an hour with no reported injuries",
    "No outlet published the verbatim Eagle Alert text, so both alerts are honestly marked isVerbatimConfirmed:false"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "All clear given after chemical spill reported at RAC on Georgia Southern's Statesboro campus - WTOC",
      "url": "https://www.wtoc.com/2025/11/13/chemical-spill-reported-rac-georgia-southerns-statesboro-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Georgia Southern University issues all clear after chemical spill evacuation - WSB-TV",
      "url": "https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/georgia-southern-university-evacuates-building-chemical-spill/7KGL43ABKFBAHGRIVPFGYWHPYQ/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "GSU recreation center temporarily closes due to chemical spill - WSAV-TV",
      "url": "https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/gsu-recreation-center-temporarily-closed-due-to-chemical-spill/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "chemical-spill",
    "hazmat",
    "georgia",
    "statesboro",
    "recreation-center",
    "pool-chemicals"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-14",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}