GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office is keeping an eye on an oil spill in Georgetown Township.
The investigation started Monday morning after a kayaker saw what they believed to be oil in the water and on the shoreline.
The sheriff’s office says the oil spill happened in a lake in the Bend Area Open Space Park, just west of the north end of 12th Avenue, north of Taylor Street, in Georgetown Township.
Several local agencies responded, along with the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
Crews had a hard time accessing the area because the road is flooded.
The Ottawa County Road Commission closed that area of 12th Avenue because of the floodwater.
Crews were able to access the oil spill using an operator and heavy equipment from a local gravel pit, boats from the Georgetown Township Fire Department and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the sheriff’s office.
The investigation shows an oil sheen on the water that appears to stretch for about 300 yards of shoreline.
The sheriff’s office investigated again Tuesday using more UAV flights which show that it does not appear to be an active spill.
Investigators say the oil is confined to one spot near the shoreline and does not appear to be impacting other waterways or shorelines.
Now, EGLE’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division is working to hire cleanup contractors to start work as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, EGLE’s Oil, Gas and Minerals Division is looking into potential historic sources, such as oil wells in the area, to prevent oil from releasing in the future.
The Ottawa County Parks Commission asks everyone to stay away from the area until crews finish cleaning up the spill.
