Cleanup underway after raw sewage spills into River Rouge storm drain

Company responsible says it was accident

RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – A cleanup is underway after a sludge from a truck ended up in a storm drain Thursday in River Rouge.

“We heard this loud sploosh like a dump out,” said Greg Joseph, the former mayor of River Rouge.

A truck dumped sludge in River Rouge on Feb. 6, 2020. (WDIV)

Joseph said he saw black ooze after a tanker truck released a load over a sewer lid in front of his house on Ironton Avenue and Great Lakes Street.

The truck was from Safeway Transport, a hazardous material removal company based in Romulus.

Safeway said the mess was raw sewage, which was sucked up from a toilet issue at a ship repair yard.

The company’s owner, Ken Tarter, said the dumping was an accident caused by a truck malfunction.

Joseph says it didn’t appear accidental to him.

A truck dumped sludge in River Rouge on Feb. 6, 2020. (WDIV)
A truck dumped sludge in River Rouge on Feb. 6, 2020. (WDIV)

About the Authors
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Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

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