By Chris Aldridge
For The Advertiser
SEBEWAING — Officials have contained an area of the Sebewaing River after an oil-like substance was reported floating in the water Monday.
The oily sheen — initially about 50 feet wide and up to a quarter of a mile long — was reported near the Main Street bridge and marina boat launch, said Brian Rudolph, district supervisor for Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s water resource division. The MDEQ was notified around 2:30 p.m. Monday, he said.
“We sent out staff around 5 p.m. and found a release of what we think is a petroleum product,” Rudolph said.
Harbor Beach Fire Chief John Lermont and the fire department’s hazardous materials team responded to the incident around 6:30 p.m. Monday at the request of the MDEQ.
“It looks to be the consistency of oil,” Lermont said. “It’s black-like waste.”
The substance was first reported by the harbor master and residents, said Randy Miller, director of emergency services in the county.
Booms — barriers with absorbing pads to catch oil, fuel and hydrocarbons — were set across the river near the marina boat launch, covering about a quarter-mile eastward toward North First Street. By Tuesday afternoon, the sheen had been reduced to a 10-by-10-foot area. MDEQ on site Tuesday said oil had seeped into the river from a storm drain.
The sheen was first thought to have originated from the defunct Lapeer Metal Stamping plant. Investigation later revealed that the substance had flowed in from the opposite direction of the plant.
Miller said the substance entered the river about 500 to 600 feet from the bay and floated toward the Center Street bridge.
“We know where it’s going into the river, and that’s been contained,” Miller said. “It’s not clearly evident where it came from.”
Rudolph said the source has yet to be identified.
“It’s a bit of a mystery right now,” he said. “The first step is to control the release and work backward to find the source.”
Miller did not have an estimation for cleanup costs. There were no damages to property or wildlife reported, Rudolph said.
Booms around the initial area may stay in place for the next week at the recommendation of the U.S. Coast Guard as samples are sent to Lansing for further investigation.
Harbor Beach and Sebewaing fire departments were assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Sebewaing Police Department and a Sebewaing Village Council representative, Miller said.
“Everyone did an excellent job in containing things and cleaning things up,” he said. “Hazmat is a difficult thing to deal with.”
Rudolph said the sheen had not been in the water long enough to kill fish, but does not recommend fishing within the area where booms are set.
“We want to remind boaters if they’re in that area to stay clear of the booms and do not run them over,” Lermont said.