Burst pipe at Warren plating shop causes chemical spill into Bear Creek

A burst water pipe in a former Warren electroplating shop caused extensive flooding and a suspected chemical spill in nearby Bear Creek and the Red Run Drain that flows to Lake St. Clair.

City of Warren officials, in a statement, said that drinking water is safe but that residents should avoid the affected area of Bear Creek. A spokesperson for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has taken the lead on the spill, said Friday afternoon the agency was still awaiting results of water and sediment testing to determine what contaminants are present at what levels.

The flooding occurred at the former Fini-Finish Metal Finishing electroplating shop, 24657 Mound Road. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy requested the assistance of the EPA.

An estimated 580,000 gallons of water spilled from the burst pipe at the now-vacant plating shop.

A bluish substance spilled into the Bear Creek drain and was first noticed Wednesday by a construction contractor replacing a culvert beneath Mound Road near 11 Mile as part of the Innovate Mound Road construction project. The crew notified an inspector with the county's public works, the office stated in a news release Friday.

Booms didn't stop the flow of blue substance

"We quickly notified city officials and county and state agencies — including the governor's office — to ensure rapid response and a full investigation," County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said.

Investigators traced the spill upstream to the unoccupied Fini-Finish shop building near Mound, south of 10 Mile. Warren officials reviewed water usage and found a large spike in usage Jan. 24. It is suspected the spill was caused when a frozen water pipe in the building burst and washed some chemicals into the storm drain.

"Our Public Works team also quickly notified an environmental services contractor to place booms along the surface of the open-channel portion of the Bear Creek Drain," Miller said. "While some foam on the surface was blocked, the unknown substance is water-soluble and continued to flow to the Red Run Drain."

EPA responders continued to conduct water and sediment sampling on Friday, with environmental contractors cleaning up the spill."Overnight, work continued to clean 800 feet of the impacted storm sewer along Mound Road," EPA officials stated on a website providing information about the spill and response. "(Friday) morning, the storm sewer will be plugged on Mound Road while the cleanup moves to the storm sewer area adjacent to the plating shop to ensure no debris from the plating shop enters the cleaned sewer. The company's contractor installed equipment, also known as pom-poms, into the creek to help knock down agitated sediment in Bear Creek. The company will also begin foam recovery in the creek."

More: State regulators order response for corrosive ooze near former McLouth site

Cleanup efforts include using vacuum trucks at the storm sewers, EPA officials said. The collected water will be placed in containers, its contamination characterized and then will be disposed of in an appropriate facility.

EPA working to figure out what the material is

Authorities do not know how much material may have spilled into the storm drain leading to the Bear Creek Drain. The water in the open channel section of the Bear Creek Drain near Mound and 11 Mile was flowing clear by dawn Thursday, per the county's release.

"I think it was an unknown product and it was very different than we usually see on this when we have a spill or something," said Ted Lanway with the city of Warren's wastewater treatment plant. "So, the nature of the product, we weren't able to identify it with some of our spot tests that normally work."

Lanway noted the area has a long history of industrial activity, "so there could be something there from a long time ago."

EGLE staff entered the unoccupied Fini-Finish building on Thursday and saw a significant buildup of unidentified material on the floor. Small buckets and drums of material were present. County officials stated the water from the broken line likely contacted material on the outside of the buckets and drums and on the floor, resulting in the discharge.

The owner of the building, who purchased it last fall, has hired a contractor according to the county, and is working on plans for cleanup of the building interior, at EPA's direction.

Environmental group: Recent spills show need for tougher laws

News of the spill into Bear Creek in Warren comes only a day after word of a mysterious, corrosive, milky liquid emanating from the ground near a railroad crossing at the former McLouth Steel Superfund site in Riverview. Just as with the Warren spill, regulators have not yet provided public confirmation of the contaminants involved.

The two spills highlight a need for tougher action against polluters, said Christy McGillivray, legislative and political director for the nonprofit environmental group Sierra Club's Michigan chapter. She called for the Michigan Legislature to pass a package of bills introduced by Democrats last fall seeking to hasten response to pollution; provide better, faster recourse for those affected by it; and better hold polluters accountable.

"The lack of oversight of the storage of this toxic material, the fact that EPA is not able to quickly and easily identify it, the fact that our tax dollars are going to a federal emergency response because of the negligence of the former owner of this facility are all infuriating examples of why we must act immediately on strong polluter pay laws," she said.

"It is unacceptable for Michiganders to be forced to keep subsidizing bad polluter behavior with the health of our Great Lakes, our own health, and our tax dollars."

Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Plating shop flooding causes chemical spill into Bear Creek in Warren