Diesel spills into Monroe County waterway from leaking gas station fuel line

Authorities are warning people not to go near North Tenmile Creek in Monroe County after a broken fuel line at an Ottawa Lake gas station leaked thousands of gallons of diesel fuel downstream.

Health and environmental officials are visiting homeowners along the creek this week to collect drinking water samples from private wells to ensure the water is safe to drink.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Monroe County Health Department and an independent testing agency will be collecting samples this week between the intersection of US-23 and US-223 and the state line, the health department said Monday. Residents can contact the department at 734-240-7900 or eh_frontdesk@monroemi.org if they object to having a sample taken from their property.

EGLE was notified about the diesel spill on March 22, when someone reported "a sheen from an unknown source on Tenmile Creek," the department said in a press release Tuesday. On March 26, the state department requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assist to identify the source of the fuel and to help contain the pollution.

The EPA determined the fuel came from a leaking diesel fuel line at the Pilot Travel Center gas station in Ottawa Lake. The agency conducted pressure testing on the gas station's fuel lines and found that the leak had discharged "several thousand gallons of diesel fuel" into the onsite storm sewer, retention pond and offsite storm sewer that leads into North Tenmile Creek.

North Tenmile Creek is a tributary of the Ottawa River, which feeds into Lake Erie.

The EPA placed booms in the creek to contain continued fuel leakage. Those will remain in place and the agencies will remain on-site until the leak is controlled, EGLE said.

Pilot's contractors are collecting diesel below the gas station and blocked storm sewer outlets to prevent more pollution from reaching the waterway.

The responding groups also are developing a plan to remove potentially contaminated sediment from Tenmile Creek.

ckthompson@detroitnews.com