On 7/21/11 at 1934 hrs an explosion occurred in a tanker truck transporting 4600 gallons of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) in Sawyer, Berrien County, Michigan. Some of the material entered the storm sewer system and a small creek that is a tributary to Lake Michigan. The majority of the material is contained on site and the responsible party is conducting a cleanup under the oversight of the local (Berrien County) and state government (MDEQ) officials. Currently the Warren Dunes State Park Beach is closed due to the proximity of the impacted creek (0.25 miles) and Exit 12 on Eastbound I-94 is also closed.
OSC Theresa Holz responded to the incident to provide assistance to the MDEQ with air and water sampling.
