MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Crews from the Environmental Protection Agency were at the site of the green ooze leaking onto I-696 in Madison Heights to take samples and clean up.
Engineers arrived at the contamination site Thursday and worked all day, drilling a series of 25 test holes to get access to the water table.
While the contamination source has been rectified inside the Electroplating Services building, authorities still want to know which direction the chemicals have traveled.
“We know that we have a path of migration between the building and the highway, but the soil borings around the facility will tell us if we have groundwater migrating in any other direction,” said Tracy Kecskemeti, of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Kecskemeti said if groundwater is migrating in another direction, the concern would be that it could move off-site and find a pathway into a storm sewer or an occupied building.
“You can’t have a well that you dig in the ground and be dumping chromium-6 in it,” Michigan Rep. Andy Levin said.
Levin made an unannounced visit to the site Thursday.
“Somebody who allows this to happen for profit -- I mean, really there are no words,” Levin said. “It’s something that’s unacceptable in society, and he has to be held accountable.”
Local 4′s Tim Pamplin asked experts if they think they’ve got the situation under control.
“It’s too early to say,” Kecskemeti said.
“It’s a little premature for me to answer that,” said Tricia Edwards, of the EPA.
The cleanup and investigation continues.