Michigan: No-Contact Lifted for Huron River, Motor Oil Spill Reported in Wayne
Aug. 17, 2022—The presence of an oily substance in the Rouge River has been announced as motor oil, and a no-contact order has been lifted for the Huron River regarding a different contamination.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, an unnamed local business in Wayne, Michigan, has been identified as the cause of an accidental motor oil spill. An investigation took place involving hazmat teams and a fire department who were responding to a report of an unknown liquid seen in the river.
The city of Wayne revealed that the business responsible for the spill has taken responsibility for the accident and is paying for remediation and clean up efforts. Wayne has worked with both the state of Michigan and the National Response Center throughout this investigation and response.
This news comes following a recent dumping incident in the Huron River of Michigan by auto parts manufacturer Tribar Manufacturing. Tribar ignored alarms at a Wixom wastewater treatment plant and dumped 10,000 gallons of contaminated water into the waterway.
There was a no-contact order put in place for the Huron River, but Fox 2 Detroit has reported that this has since been lifted. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services received data from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that revealed the levels of a dangerous contaminant called hexavalent chromium were much lower than was initially believed to be.
The Huron River contamination mostly contained trivalent chromium, which is a micronutrient of less concern. The water will continue to be tested and there is no threat to the drinking water in the area.
