The Michigan departments of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and local officials are working together to protect residents in Monroe, Oakland, Livingston, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties following a release of hexavalent chromium to the Wixom Sewage Treatment Facility from Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom. The sewer feeds the Wixom wastewater treatment plant, which discharges to the Huron River system.

EGLE was notified at 3:21 p.m. August 1 by Tribar that it had released several thousand gallons of a liquid containing 5% hexavalent chromium into the sewer system. The company says it discovered the release Monday but indicated it may have started as early as Saturday morning according to Wixom city officials. 

Testing of the Huron River has been ongoing and of more than 145 water samples collected throughout 42 river miles since the release, three came back with detections of hexavalent chromium – two detections in Milford’s Hubbell Pond and one in the middle of Kent Lake. The Kent Lake detection, completed by lab analysis – was 5 parts per billion (ppb) – just at the detectable limit of 5 ppb. The two Hubbell Pond detections were 11 and 9 parts per billion. All three were at or below values to protect aquatic life.