MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – A bright green substance oozing onto I-696 in Madison Heights is coming from a condemned business, officials said.
The owner of Electro Plating Services was recently sentenced after he pleaded guilty to storing hazardous waste without a permit.
The unknown substance started flowing onto the freeway near Couzens Road on Friday.
The Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy believes the substance is contaminated groundwater that remained after a massive 2016 cleanup at the electroplating business.
The Environmental Protection Agency is testing the substance, and the results are expected Saturday. It’s likely a mix of acids, heavy metals and other waste.
Tricia Edwards, with the EPA, said the cleanup is going to take time because there is a lot of clay in the area, and the substance is traveling onto the clay.
The right lane, right shoulder and exit to Couzens Road are closed while crews clean up the mess.
In the meantime, the Macomb County Public Works is monitoring the situation because anything that enters storm drains along I-696 ends up in Lake St. Clair.