Gas Station Believed to be Source of Fuel Spill in Sylvan Lake
(Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Sept. 3, 2018)
Sylvan Lake, MI- Deputies assigned to the Oakland County Marine Unit responded to Sylvan Lake on the report of a large amount of fuel that had covered portions of the lake’s surface. Residents living on Sylvan Lake became concerned when they smelled a strong odor of diesel fuel coming from the lake and observed fuel on the surface of the water.
OUTCOME OF INCIDENT: Marine Unit Deputies arrived on the scene along with Officers from the Sylvan Lake Police Department. Deputies were able to see that a large portion of the lake had been covered with the fuel. The preliminary investigation indicated the fuel was likely to be coming from several storm drains in the area. Contact was made with the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioners Office who dispatched a response team to the scene. Deputies were authorized to make a forced entry into the Mill Pond Dam control area to close the Mill Pond Dam to prevent further contamination of Oakland County waterways. Representatives from the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the DNR were notified of the fuel spill. Upon their arrival, representatives from the DEQ requested an Oakland County Hazmat Team respond along with the activation of the Oakland County Emergency Management Team.
Representatives from the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioners Office arrived on the scene and requested to have the Oakland County Road Commission and Michigan Department of Transportation respond to the scene. Those agencies determined a known amount of fuel may have been spilled into the storm drain system and emptied into Sylvan Lake. In addition, some of the storm drains still appeared to have fuel in them which presents a potential public hazard. Firefighters from the West Bloomfield Township Fire Department and the Waterford Regional Fire Department responded to the scene. Hazmat Teams and responders from the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioners Office deployed containment booms into the water to assist with containment of the fuel spill.
A preliminary investigation has determined that the fuel spill may have originated at the Mobil Gas Station located on S. Telegraph Road within the City of Sylvan Lake. Representatives from the State of Michigan DEQ arrived on the scene and will be continuing with containment and assessing the clean-up needs. The OCSO Marine Unit is assisting the Sylvan Lake Police Department and several additional agencies with the investigation.
INCIDENT: 19:30 hrs. – Sept. 1, 2018 – City of Sylvan Lake – OCSO Marine Unit Response / Hazardous Material Fuel Spill / Oakway Hazmat Team Activation Response / Oakland County Emergency Management Activation / Assist to Other Law Enforcement Agency / Assist Fire Department / Assist to Other Government Agencies / State of Michigan DEQ Response / Assist to the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Conservation Officers – #18-164949
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