Northville — The nonprofit Friends of the Rouge has asked Mayor Brian Trumbull to investigate a June 21 oil spill at the Downs development property and determine what measures need to be put in place to avoid a repeat accident.
Between 80 and 85 gallons of oil spilled from eight drums and a storage container during the demolition of a building on the property, according to the Michigan Department of the Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. There was no danger to the public and containment procedures were implemented starting the day of the spill, the city said last week.
Some of the petroleum products leaked into a storm drain and entered the Rouge River, according to the city. A boom to contain and collect oil was placed in the river the night of the spill and a second boom was added the following morning.
The developer, Hunter Pasteur, hired a clean-up contractor who reported to EGLE on Monday. They saw no evidence of impacts on the river during last week’s heavy rains and planned to remove the booms this week, EGLE spokesman Hugh McDiarmid Jr. said. Some waste product remains contained on the site pending lab characterization so it can be properly disposed of, McDiarmid said.
Friends of the Rouge, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting the river, is still concerned about how the spill happened. The organization’s watershed ecologist, Sally Petrella, said that one gallon of oil can contaminate up to a million gallons of water, according to a letter the group sent to Trumbull.
“This oil spill threatens the Rouge River and surrounding watershed for 30 miles downstream of the site,” Jessica Eiland Anders, president of the organization’s board of directors, wrote in her letter to the mayor. “Toxic to aquatic life, the introduction of petroleum based products into the ecosystem can lead to long-term ecological challenges.”
The organization is particularly concerned about fish like brown trout and the redside dace, which is endangered in the state of Michigan, as well as downstream habitat improvement projects.
“Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent to restore Newburgh and Nankin Lakes and have included an accessible fishing pier and kayak launch. How will anglers and boaters who are now using these lakes respond to oil in the water and decline of the ecosystem?” Eiland Anders wrote. “How will this spill affect Wilcox and Phoenix Lakes that are currently being restored as well as the numerous habitat restoration projects downstream?”
The city confirmed that they received Friends of the Rouge’s letter, but said that EGLE is the regulating agency for this incident. The city has been working closely with EGLE for direction and protocols, Director of Strategic Planning and Special Projects Wendy Wilmers Longpre wrote in an email.
The property was previously home to the Northville Downs horse racing track, which closed in February. The demolition work is part of a $300 million development that will create 443 new housing units, several new parks, and unearth a previously buried part of the Rouge River.
Demolition is expected to finish late this month and vertical construction will start in the fall, Hunter Pasteur told The News in May. They did not respond to a request for comment on the Friends of the Rouge request.
hmackay@detroitnews.com
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