TRENTON (WWJ) – Officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to clean up a fuel spill into a local waterway — this time, the Detroit River.
Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say the red-dye diesel was released into a storm drain system and made its way into the river sometime Monday near the closed Riverside Osteopathic Hospital in Trenton – near Jefferson and King Road.
Officials with the EPA and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said the release has been contained, and now crews are working to remove the diesel from the water.
Over the next few days, the owners of the property are set to drain the storm sewer and "jet the sewer lines."
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell in a statement called this incident “another alarming and inexcusable pollution event.”
“My team and I are working closely to monitor this situation and are working with authorities at every level, including the EPA and EGLE, to ensure the public has the latest information and the emergency response is successful,” Dingell said, in a statement.
There's no word yet on what may have caused the release.
“This is just the latest in a series of threats to our waterways and environment, and a reminder of the importance of vigilantly protecting our water sources and holding irresponsible actors accountable,” she said.
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This is the third chemical release into local waterways in the past month.
Late last month Tribar Manufacturing released hexavalent chromium into the Huron River, resulting in residents being told to avoid the river and other connected bodies of water, as well as a number of citations issued for the company.