Background
On or about February 7, 2024, a water line inside the former Fini Finish Custom Plating shop building broke causing approximately 580,000 gallons of water to flood the shop, located at 24657 Mound Rd., in Warren, Michigan. As a result, electroplating chemicals entered into the parking lot storm sewer and then into the storm sewer system along Mound Road that outfalls into Bear Creek.
On February 8, in the late morning, EPA arrived on-scene at the request of Michigan Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). EPA, in conjunction with the City of Warren, was able to shut off the public water supply to the property in an effort to stabilize the site and prevent a further release. EPA and EGLE observed plating shop debris covering the plating shop floor and staining in the parking lot beside the building that was indicative of plating debris being washed out of the building and entering into the storm sewer. Upon further inspection, plating shop debris was observed at numerous locations in the storm sewer system along Mound Road. EPA then followed the storm sewer system along Mound Road to its outfall in Bear Creek. Foaming and a fine green-blue sediment was observed in Bear Creek.
EPA and EGLE began collecting samples of the plating shop debris at the shop, wastewater samples from within the storm sewer system, and samples of surface water and sediment in Bear Creek to determine if the material contained hazardous substances. Cleanup efforts were then conducted to jet and vacuum the storm sewers along Mound Road to recover the plating material debris.
On February 9, 2024, EPA set a temporary plug in the storm sewer on Mound Road to prevent backflow and completed cleaning the storm sewer at the site. EPA also conducted foam recovery in Bear Creek and installed "pom-pom" booming in Bear Creek at two locations to disrupt suspended solids from further travelling down Bear Creek. With that effort, EPA completed its cleanup and returned authority to EGLE as the lead cleanup agency.
On February 13, 2024, EPA received the final lab results. EPA tested for constituents of concern (COCs) commonly associated with plating shop operations. Although detections were noted, there were no exceedances of Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or Removal Management Levels (RMLs) for any constituent.
