OTTAWA COUNTY (WHTC-AM/FM) — State and local agencies are cleaning up a New Year’s Day oil spill near Jenison.
Ottawa County Emergency Manager Nick Bonstell said a pipe leading into a nearby oil well spilled about ten barrels of oil — an estimated 500 gallons — on private property near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Taylor Street in Georgetown Township on Tuesday.
The spill does not pose a public health risk, he said.
The spill happened on private property when an external pipe servicing a remote oil well failed — it’s unclear what the problems was — but the county’s hazmat team, Georgetwon Township firefighters and Ottawa County Sheriff’s deputies cut power to the well and spread out absorbent materials to minimize the effect on the water.
Bonstell says the situation is currently controlled and only the bayou was affected.
County officials are working with state and Georgetown officials to activity mitigate the incident, he said.
Agencies involved include Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP-EMHSD), the Georgetown Township Fire Department, as well as the operator and environmental contractor to actively mitigatethe incident.
