Michigan state investigators said test samples taken Thursday from Hubbell Pond in Milford showed low levels of a toxic chemical that was released into the Huron River system by Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom last weekend.
Two teams from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy sampled waters upstream, downstream and in the lake Friday to gather more information about the presence of hexavalent chromium, a known cancer-causing chemical.
According to Michigan officials, hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen that can cause a number of adverse health effects through ingestion, skin contact or inhalation.
State officials are still investigating why the release occurred, the exact volume and product that was released, and the timeline of events.
The samples from Hubbell Pond were the only ones in which hexavalent chromium was detected, out of more than 30 samples that were taken from various depths from near the discharge point downstream to Barton Pond in Ann Arbor.
“A liquid containing 5% hexavalent chromium was discharged into the sanitary sewer system from Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom last weekend and directed to the Wixom Wastewater Treatment Facility,” the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said in a statement on Michigan.
Michigan officials advised people and pets to avoid contact with water on the Huron River between North Wixom Road in Oakland County and Kensington Road in Livingston County. This includes Norton Creek downstream of the Wixom Wastewater Treatment Plant (Oakland County), Hubbell Lake (also known as Mill Lake in Oakland County), and Kent Lake (Oakland and Livingston counties).
Residents are also warned not to water their plants with river water and not to eat fish caught in that stretch of river.
Officials also warned that this advisory could be extended to other areas of the river as additional test results are received.
Properly constructed and permitted drinking water wells that are not affected by surface water are unlikely to be contaminated with chromium from the river, they said.
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