Michigan Legislature approves $600,000 to demolish toxic ooze site

Public meeting schedule to address Madison Heights freeway ooze

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) – State lawmakers on Thursday approved $600,000 to help demolish an industrial building that is linked to a spill of green goo along a Detroit-area interstate.

The fate of the Electro-Plating Services site is tied up in litigation in Oakland County court. Demolition and cleanup could cost more than $1 million, Madison Heights City Manager Melissa Marsh said.

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“I'm very excited to hear it,” Marsh said of the appropriation. “It's definitely a win for all involved. It affects the whole region.”

Electro-Plating Services was shut down by state regulators in 2016 due to mismanagement of industrial waste, after nearly 50 years of operation. The owner is serving a one-year prison sentence for illegally storing hazardous waste.

In late December, drivers on Interstate 696 saw a brightly colored goo seeping through a concrete barrier along the shoulder. It apparently migrated through soil from Electro-Plating Services.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working on a remediation plan for the property, Marsh said.

More on the Defending the Environment page.