WIXOM, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Great Lakes and Energy has released test results from nine surface water samples taken downstream of a release of hexavalent chromium.
Officials are now saying all nine water samples from Wednesday have come back negative showing no detectable presence of hexavalent chromium.
Over the weekend, Tribar's Wixom facility released several thousand gallons of liquid containing the cancer-causing compound into the Huron River System.
So do these negative test results mean that parkgoers are in the clear to go past the "no swimming" signs?
Not quite.
Jill Greenberg, Spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said; "These are preliminary results and they are just beginning to give us an idea of the story of what’s going on with this release and any potential impact on the Huron River."
On Tuesday, two more tests were taken and detected no presence of the chemical, but officials stress that these negative results for the surface water samples are encouraging but do not mean there is no hexavalent chromium in the water.
Surface samples are taken only within the first six to 12 inches of the water so testing will continue.
"Today testing took place at 29 different locations but at each location some of them had multiple samples taken," said Greenberg on Thursday.
Additional test results should be coming in quickly in the following days, but those who have businesses on the Huron River and run the parks know that this chemical spill will have a much longer impact.
Park goers 7 Action News spoke to said they won't be getting in the water for a very long time.
EGLE officials are also inspecting the Tribar Wixom plant to determine why this release occurred, when it occurred, and how much of the toxic compound may have been released.
