MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Test results have found that the toxic green ooze seeping onto I-696 is in fact Hexavalent Chromium.
About a week ago, the substance spilled over from the embankment onto I-696 in Madison Heights.
Officials believed the ooze was a cancer-causing chemical called Hexavalent Chromium. It was coming from the basement of a Madison Heights electro-plating factory located on 10 Mile Road that was shut down in 2016 due to EPA violations.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller responded to the hazardous leakage in this statement:
"...While this site is not in Macomb County, this site clearly demands an immediate response from all appropriate authorities until it is no longer a danger to our community and to our magnificent Great Lakes...It must be cleaned up now."
The substance was featured in the 2000 film 'Erin Brockovich.' Environmental activist Erin Brockovich even commented about the leak on her Facebook page:
In the meantime, both federal and state agencies have been working to clean up the hazardous material.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy website says they’ve been working through the holiday to clean things up, installing a second sump pump on the side of the freeway.
UPDATE, Dec. 26, 2019: On Christmas Eve day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in coordination with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) installed a sump pump in the eastbound I-696 highway embankment where the contaminants from Electro-Plating Services have leached through the soil. Contaminated liquid is being pumped and collected in a frac tank – resembling a semi-trailer truck on the shoulder of the highway. The right lane and shoulder of the highway are closed at the Couzens exit, and protective barriers were to be installed Thursday, Dec. 26. The offramp to Couzens from eastbound I-696 is also closed. The new sump pump complements one installed last week in the basement of the facility, which is also collecting contaminated liquid. The liquid will be transported for proper disposal. State and federal officials are in discussions to determine what next steps are appropriate to manage risk at the site.
How long this toxic material has been leaking into the ground is unknown, but a sump pump has been installed in the eastbound I-696 highway embankment where the contaminants from Electro-Plating Services have reached through the soil.
- Officials say yellow-green chemical oozing onto I-696 poses no threat to drinking water, air quality
Contaminated liquid is being pumped and collected in a frac tank, resembling a semi-trailer truck on the shoulder of the highway. The right lane and shoulder of the highway are closed at the Couzens exit, and protective barriers were to be installed Thursday, Dec. 26.
UPDATE: the container holding the toxic chemical sucked out of the EPS basement in Madison Heights that I accidentally walked up to the other day is now secure! @wxyzdetroit @MichiganEGLE @EPA pic.twitter.com/ONmC0flKxy
— Jennifer Ann Wilson WXYZ (@JennaWils) December 27, 2019
The off-ramp to Couzens from eastbound I-696 is also closed.
The new sump pump complements one installed last week in the basement of the facility, which is also collecting contaminated liquid.
NOW there’s a second sump pump along the EB lanes of I-696 sucking up toxic soil from the embankment on the side of the fwy - Couzens exit is closed as is the service drive and several short side streets - more at 6am on @wxyzdetroit @JennaWils @MichiganEGLE @EPA pic.twitter.com/OSXARwz1Kj
— Jennifer Ann Wilson WXYZ (@JennaWils) December 27, 2019
The liquid will be transported for proper disposal. State and federal officials are in discussions to determine what next steps are appropriate to manage risk at the site.
