Thanks to a tip from a vigilant citizen, Macomb County Public Works (MCPWO) was able to stop the flow of a petroleum spill, preventing most of it from moving downriver into Lake St. Clair.
The person who reported the spill used MCPWO’s 24-hour tip line to report seeing a sheen of petroleum on the water near the Red Run on Jan. 3.
Officials say 75 to 100 gallons of petroleum was dumped in a storm drain near 14 Mile and Schoenherr Road. An investigation into the source of the spill is ongoing, Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said.
The size of the spill indicates that the petroleum likely came from a storage tank. Personnel from Clinton Township fire departments and public works offices assisted MCPWO in locating the source of the spill.
“We are all one big watershed, and all the storm water in the metro area runs out to Lake St. Clair or other parts of the Great Lakes Basin,” Miller said in a press release.
The Sterling Heights Sentry reports the spill was traced to the Schoenherr Relief Drain in Warren and was seen 5 or 10 miles down the river. MCPWO was able to hold back the bulk of the spill and clean most of it up by Jan. 6.
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