AVON LAKE, Ohio — Avon Lake and the Ohio EPA are monitoring the city’s waterways after a chemical spill into a creek blocks away from Lake Erie.
During an Avon Lake City Council meeting Monday night, Mayor Mark Spaetzel and councilmember Rob Shahmir shared details about an “environmental release” on Sept. 16.
“The discharge of liquid of a diluted product entered our storm system and exited to the outfall into Powdermaker Creek at the Lake Road culvert,” Spaetzel said.
Shahmir said a resident first spotted the issue and alerted the city. The city then notified Avon Lake manufacturer Lubrizol Corporation, which determined the leak was the result of human error.
A viewer photo showed a milky-white liquid flowing from a storm drain into Powdermaker Creek near the Lake Road culvert. The city said it discovered 6,600 gallons of diluted Sancure had leaked into the creek. The Lubrizol product is a commercial-grade polyurethane coating.
“We’re not anticipating any risk to our residents, but we are working collaboratively with Lubrizol and [the Ohio] EPA,” Spaetzel said.
The city said its public works employees assisted Lubrizol with containing the spill. The company initially used pieces of driftwood to stop the creek flow before Lake Erie and then improvised a contamination boom with plywood, plastic, fabric, clay and rebar.
“There’s actual buffers that they could’ve been using, versus driftwood. They needed to have those other items in stock. They needed to have their response team within moments of discovery,” Council President Jennifer Fenderbosch said during Monday’s meeting.
The Ohio EPA and U.S. Coast Guard both responded to assist with cleanup and remediation. The Ohio EPA said its Office of Emergency Response found the spill consisted of 20 pounds of polyurethane polymer mixed with 6,600 gallons of storm water.
It said Lubrizol and Avon Lake used vacuum trucks to remove the affected water from the creek before it reached Lake Erie. The Ohio EPA was still monitoring the area as of Tuesday afternoon.
Neighbors near the spill were concerned to hear about the incident so close to where their families were enjoying a lakefront park.
“It’s unfortunate to hear,” said Brandon Snyder, who lives in a nearby city and was playing with his son at Miller Road Park.
Anne Rister from Sheffield Lake added, “It’s a big concern and I think it should be taken seriously and investigated. And then come to a conclusion so it doesn’t happen again or at least prevent it.”
City leaders raised additional concerns about the company not realizing the spill had occurred.
“What needs to be looked at is what sort of controls, procedurally, need to be put in place so nothing like this occurs in the future?” asked Shahmir.
Some neighbors echoed a need for more safeguards to respond and prevent future issues.
“We do have that social responsibility of making sure that we protect the people that are living here, that visit here,” Snyder said.
Rister added, “Things will happen, but they need to investigate it and have prevention for it for the next time.”
Lubrizol Corporation sent the following statement to News 5 regarding the incident:
On Sept. 16 a dilute solution of water and a polyurethane polymer dispersant was released into a storm sewer nearby our Avon Lake facility due to an unexpected valve issue. Lubrizol swiftly mobilized our internal teams, as well as external experts, to assess and address potentially affected areas. By the following day, all potentially impacted areas were visually clean. During the response, Lubrizol notified and closely coordinated with relevant authorities.
