MADISON HEIGHTS (WWJ) - State and federal cleanup crews will spend another day vacuuming contaminated water from nearby drains after a toxic green substance oozed onto I-696 in Madison Heights.
The state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said Friday that preliminary test results show no risk to drinking water intakes in Lake St. Clair, but high levels of multiple contaminants in the soil and groundwater surrounding the facility, near Couzens.
Officials say the chemicals are coming from the Electro-Plating Services building. The tests show some of the contaminants are chromium, trichloroethylene (TCE) and cyanide -- all chemicals previously used in the Electro-Plating facility.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller is concerned because the chemicals are extremely toxic.
"There are certain rules and regulations that have to be adhered to when you're dealing with something like this because it causes cancer. It can be deadly, as well, to humans. It's very, very toxic," she said. "This particular incident, obviously they were not utilizing the regulations properly, as far as storage."
Next week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will begin soil borings to help determine the extent and levels of contamination.
"I don't know who cleaned that site up but if they call that a cleanup, they have got to be kidding. That site was not properly cleaned up and it needs to be properly cleaned up," said Miller. "By that, I would say demolition of the building, excavation of the site, excavation of the groundwater or the ground table around that immediate area. That contaminated soil needs to be bagged, tagged and sent to an approved landfill. Hazardous material like that has to be taken care of properly."
The substance migrated from the Electro-Plating facility onto the I-696 freeway shoulder last week. It prompted a multi-agency response, including the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), to contain the liquid.
"I think the EPA and EGLE need to be having a short term solution to make sure that they have totally contained this thing in the storm drains, and they need tohave a long term solution which will be very expensive, but it needs to be immediate and aggressive cleanup of that site," said Miller.
Background: Electro-Plating Services was issued a Cease and Desist order from EGLE in December 2016 due to extreme mismanagement of hazardous waste that posed an immediate and substantial threat to the community.
Throughout 2017, the EPA conducted a cleanup of the site, removing the hazardous chemicals and pumping contaminated liquid from an earthen pit in the basement of the facility. This clean-up addressed the immediate hazards on the site but was not intended to address all environmental impacts.
In November 2019, EPS owner Gary Sayers was convicted of operating an unlicensed hazardous waste storage facility, sentenced to one year in federal prison, and ordered to repay the EPA $1.5 million for clean-up costs.