1.1.1 Incident Category
Emergency Response

1.1.2 Site Description
The site is a former steel mill, with operations including annealing, pickling, and cold rolling processes.  The site contains four treatment ponds and four vaults along the perimeter of the DSC McLouth landfills.  The steel mill waste landfills on site generate approximately 100,000 gallons of leachate per week. The leachate in the ponds was not being managed and was threatening the Frank & Poet Drain. The leachate was screened with the YSI and had a pH of 12.51 standard units (su). According to 40 CFR 261.22, a waste with a pH of 12.5 or greater is a characteristically hazardous waste for corrosivity. 

1.1.2.1 Location
The site is located at 28000 West Jefferson Avenue in Gibraltar, Wayne County, Michigan in a mixed industrial and rural residential area, and is bordered by the Detroit River and undeveloped land to the east, commercial properties and radio towers to the north, the Frank and Poet Drain and Countywide Landfill to the west, and undeveloped land and Gibraltar Road to the south.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat
Leachate ponds at the site were not being managed and were threatening to overflow and enter the Frank & Poet Drain. The leachate was screened with the YSI and showed a pH of 12.51 su. The Frank & Poet Drain is a tributary to the Detroit River.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

On March 17 EPA inspected the leachate ponds and found that the level of Pond 3 was within an inch of overflowing its banks.

2.1.1 Narrative
EPA Removal mobilized ERRS on 3/18/16 and began removing leachate from the ponds.  

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date
Between 3/18/2016 and 3/23/2016 EPA removed, treated and disposed of 610,000 gallons of leachate from the treatment ponds.  A plug was reinstalled into the leachate outfall, preventing  more leachate from entering the ponds.  

All leachate removed was transported and disposed of at Advanced Resource Recovery in Inkster, Michigan.

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities
None.

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities
None.

2.2.1.2 Next Steps
None.

2.2.2 Issues

 None.

2.5.1 Safety Officer
Jeff Lippert

2.5.2 Liaison Officer
N/A

2.5.3 Information Officer

N/A 

3.1 Unified Command
N/A

3.2 Cooperating Agencies

MDEQ

City of Gibraltar

Wayne County

Detroit River Keeper 

ERRS - 3

START - 1

EPA - 1

6.1 Internet location of additional information/report
www.epaosc.org/dscleachate

6.2 Reporting Schedule