FLINT (WWJ) - Tests completed by officials in Genesee County on Friday have traced the source of an oil-based spill on the Flint River back to a local chemical company.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) confirmed on June 17 that the Lockhart Chemical Company was responsible for the release of a petroleum product which authorities said was seeping out from a discharge pipe.
The spill triggered a wide-scale response after it was first reported in the Flint River around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Authorities said thousands of gallons of dark black, oil-based material had polluted the river in a stretch about 20 miles long; Jill Greenberg, a spokeswoman for Michigan's environmental agency, described the material as smelling like petroleum and appears similar to motor oil.
Related
The EGLE used "chemical fingerprinting” analysis from three samples collected from the water; authorities were able to match the petroleum-based substance from the Flint River to substances taken from the Lockhart site.
Upon the EGLE's findings, Lockhart Chemical Company has accepted responsibility -- they are now required to take control and finance clean-up efforts and any remedial actions.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley said agencies from the state and local level are continuing to contain the spill; booms that were dropped into the river on Thursday morning are preventing the substance from spreading and crews are now focused on removing the contaminants from the water
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Friday that crews are making progress in cleaning up an estimated 13,000 gallons of spillage so far.
The Lockhart Chemical Company is facing potential fines or penalties once the EGLE completes its investigation.
There is no threat to drinking water, officials stressed, as there are no drinking water intakes in the Flint River.
Flint previously used the river for drinking water in 2014 and 2015 before lead contamination caused the city to return to a regional water supplier.
Related
