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Cleanup of contaminated site in Madison Heights moves into another phase

Green ooze discovered seeping onto I-696

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The cleanup of the contaminated site in Madison Heights that was discovered when green ooze seeped onto I-696 is moving into another phase.

Crews have been working through the pandemic to cleanup the site in phases and more work is coming. The biggest task now is to demolish the building itself.

READ: Court battle over toxic ooze site in Metro Detroit turns heated

Federal and state agencies charged with cleaning up the site that produced the green ooze are highlighting the progress that has been made.

“307,000 gallons of liquid taken off site for disposal,” Tricia Edwards with the United States Environmental Protection Agency said.

It’s been an expensive undertaking so far for the taxpayers. The EPA has pent $2.2 million so far with an estimated $2 million more in future costs at the former Electroplating Services site.

The man accused, Gary Sayers, is fighting it all from jail.

READ: Owner of Madison Heights green ooze building finally starts cleaning up worrisome Detroit property

“City does have the right to demolish that building as the appeal goes forward,” Tracy Kecskemeti, with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said.

Madison Heights will demolish the building as soon as it has the money. The state noted that the contamination is contained, but the costs are not if cleanup isn’t finished right away.

READ: More coverage on the Madison Heights contamination


About the Authors
Jason Colthorp headshot

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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