Shelby Review

State Rep. Diana Farrington (R-Sterling Heights) is calling for better preparation against future environmental threats after groundwater contaminated with hazardous chemicals – known as the "green ooze" – was discovered on the shoulder of I-696 in Madison Heights.

The contamination to groundwater was linked to Electro-Plating Services, a closed business, the former owner of which, Gary Sayers, was sentenced in November to a year in federal prison.

Sayers was found guilty of violating hazardous waste storage laws for more than two years, and the business has been closed since 2016.

Despite a successful cleanup, Farrington said Michigan was not prepared for dealing with the environmental hazard when it first came to light.

“Luckily, the contamination was quickly handled and continues to be resolved thanks to the efforts of federal and state environmental agencies,” she said. “The green liquid was pumped and collected in a tank and properly disposed of. Had it not, Lake St. Clair would have most certainly been contaminated.”

In a recent letter to the Macomb Daily, Farrington said she would support $20 million for Rapid Environmental Contamination Response included in the budget recommendations from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“I will support this appropriation because I believe protecting our communities and drinking water from potentially life-threatening harm should be among the government’s top priorities,” Farrington said.

Farrington emphasized the importance of Lake St. Clair and of maintaining the health of Michigan’s waterways.

“While we are safe from this particular incident, and no traces of hazardous chemicals have been found in our groundwater or Lake St. Clair, there is no guarantee a similar event will not happen in the future,” she said.

Among contaminants found at the former Electro-Plating Services, Michigan Radio reported, were “highly toxic materials, including hexavalent chromium, which is a known carcinogen.”

The business was started in 1967, and Sayers had been improperly storing waste on the property instead of disposing of it through a licensed disposal facility. That included waste stored in drums, as well as in a pit dug in the facility’s basement.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy issued a cease and desist order to Sayers in 2016, the culmination of multiple warnings from state and federal agencies. The facility was labeled a Superfund site by the U.S. EPA in 2017.