Factory's toxic spill closes Huron River access

MILFORD, MI — When will it be safe to use the river again?

That’s what Scott and Heather Armstrong want to know. The two operate the Village Canoe Rental service in Milford, about a mile downstream of the Norton Creek outlet to the Huron River, the point where a ‘no contact’ advisory begins due to a hexavalent chromium spill.

The Armstrongs are encouraged by early results of river testing which have, thus far, shown no detection of the toxic chemical several days after a manufacturing plant in Wixom released a large amount of it into city sewers.

But they are also worried about what continued releases like the chromium spill, which follows discharges of toxic PFAS chemicals to the river by the same company, will do to the river’s reputation as a popular outdoor recreation spot.

“The concern for us long-term is how are people going to look at the Huron River? Because there was the PFAS by the same company and you can’t eat fish from the river. And now this,” said Heather Armstrong. “Are people going to be like, ‘you know, maybe we’ll try a different river because we don’t know what could be in that one.’”

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River advocates are worried and angered this week after Tribar Technologies, an auto supplier which uses hexavalent chromium in plating baths at its manufacturing plants in Wixom, releases 10,000 gallons of liquid containing the toxic chemicals to the city wastewater system, which discharges its effluent to the river.

The company’s Plant No. 5 near I-96 has been shut down in response to a cease-and-desist the city of Wixom issued on Tuesday, Aug. 2 after company disclosed the release.

Exactly when the toxic effluent began flowing into the city’s system is a little fuzzy. The company says it “discovered” the discharge Monday. The state says it was notified Monday afternoon just before 3:30 p.m. But the city of Wixom says the discharge began over the weekend, potentially as early as Saturday. The ‘no contact’ advisory came mid-day Tuesday.

Hexavalent chromium, or hexchrome, is a carcinogenic chemical used in plastic finishing. It can cause a number of health problems through ingestion, skin contact or inhalation.

As of Friday morning, the advisory remains in place for the river downstream of Norton Creek as the state continues testing to determine if the water is safe to touch again.

“It’s a very potent carcinogen,” said Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. Beyond cancer, chronic or acute exposure in high amounts can damage a person’s liver and reproductive systems.

At plating companies like Tribar, hexchrome is used to coat decorative trim parts for automobiles. Due to its toxicity, it’s banned in Europe and many surface finishing companies have phased out its use in favor of less toxic chemicals.

Environmental groups this week questioned whether Tribar’s use of hexchrome violates supply chain standards for major automakers like Ford and General Motors, which are listed as customers on the company’s website.

“I don’t think this matches the intent of what (automakers) are trying to do in terms of cleaning up their supply chain,” said Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center.

The outrage is widespread and carries a bipartisan tinge, say other environmental advocates.

“We’re angry. Everybody we’re talking to is angry,” said Daniel Brown, a watershed planner for the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC). “We have heard a pretty incredible groundswell of frustration from all the grassroots groups we interact with. The frustration and anger is pretty palpable.”

On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) said it hadn’t detected chromium in any of eleven water samples taken Tuesday and Wednesday downstream of Norton Creek.

The state expanded testing to 29 other sites Thursday, with a focus on impoundments like Hubbell Pond in Milford and Kent Lake near the popular Kensington Metropark.

Sampling was also happening in Barton Pond further downstream, where the city of Ann Arbor gets part of its drinking water supply. Although the slow-flowing river isn’t expected to bring any of chromium to Ann Arbor for several weeks, testing was underway to establish a baseline set of data should contamination reach the city intake.

The water samples were all taken from the top of the water column, in the first six to 12 inches.

Related: Spill may prompt Ann Arbor city legal action

Biosolid sludges in the Wixom wastewater plant were also being tested, and city and state officials theorize that the chromium may have settled out in those solids.

“It looks like we’ve acted as filter,” said Steve Brown, Wixom city manager.

Brown thinks the lack of chromium detection in the river is an encouraging sign that the city’s wastewater treatment may have broken the chromium down into less harmful byproducts.

“Hopefully we can continue to get great results.”

According to the city’s Aug. 2 letter to Tribar, obtained by MLive through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the company sent an estimated 10,000 gallons of toxic, untreated wastewater to the city “during the weekend of July 30, 2022.”

The city’s limit for hexchrome in wastewater is 0.44 parts-per-million (ppm). Tribar’s released vastly exceeded that. The letter says Tribar “discharged approximately 4,170 pounds over the course of 48 hours” with concentrations of 95- to 130-ppm.

The wastewater plant initially tried to contain the discharge by diverting it to holding tank and a ditch. But staff resumed sending it to Norton Creek once those were filled, Brown said.

The incident prompted Wixom police to open an investigation to determine whether the company or employees acted negligently or with criminal intent. Brown said that investigation has been formally handed over to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

State officials at EGLE say the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) requested and received a briefing on the incident this week, but it’s unclear whether they will also investigate.

The company has released contaminants to the river before. Tribar is chiefly responsible for the existing “Do Not Eat” fish advisory in the river due to PFAS chemicals, which also were discharged to the river through the Wixom wastewater plant.

The company was previously named Adept Plastic Finishing before it was acquired by HCI Equity Partners.

“Everyone is concerned, angry and disappointed — including people at the city,” said Brown, who said the city is awaiting state test results before taking any potential punitive steps.

“Language in the sewer ordinance may come into play.”

Tribar said nothing publicly about the incident before Thursday evening when it released a statement through the Lambert PR firm, saying it “took immediate action, including making certain the release was stopped and contacting the wastewater treatment plant” upon discovering the release of plating solution “on Monday, Aug. 1.”

“Tribar takes the health and safety of our neighbors and community, as well as the protection of the environment, very seriously,” the company stated. “Tribar continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the release and will take appropriate action to prevent a reoccurrence. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.”

At the watershed council, Brown isn’t sure what to make of the lack of chromium detection in state test results thus far. There’s uncertainty about how the chemicals will behave in the river, he said. Exposure to air and aerated water could break them down into trivalent chromium, a less toxic version.

“Everything we’re seeing right now is encouraging,” he said. “Non-detects are the best we can get right now. But for the moment, it’s more vigilance, more testing more caution and keeping people out of the river until we know differently.”

That’s also the plan at Kensington Metropark, where boat rentals and beach access will remain closed for now.

“It’s encouraging but not definitive,” said metroparks spokeswoman Danielle Mauter. “It’s still a developing issue and we look forward to seeing the test results from today and the coming days.”

River tests aren’t showing hexchrome, EGLE says

Hexchrome could take weeks to reach Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor council OK’s legal action toward Tribar

Wixom police investigate Tribar hexchrome spill

Non-contact with Huron River urged after spill

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