GEORGETOWN TWP. MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 11, 2023) – An Ottawa County Park is off-limits for the moment after oil was spotted in a lake north of Jenison late on Monday morning.
According to County Emergency Management Director Lou Hunt, parks officials were contacted around 11 AM by a kayaker about the oil on the shoreline in the Bend Area Open Space, off of 12th Avenue and Taylor Street. County staffers, as well as state Environment Great Lakes and Energy officers, had issues getting to the site due to water from the nearby swollen banks of the Grand River over the roadway, so it took some boats from the Georgetown Township Fire Department, as well as drones from the sheriff’s department and some heavy equipment from a nearby private gravel pit operation, to properly assess the situation.
“Oil on the water was observed, and approximately 300 yards of lake shoreline appear to be impacted. As of Tuesday, subsequent (drone) flights show the absence of continued release, and the oil is largely confined to the area in an near the shoreline, and does not appear to be impacting any other waterways or shorelines.” – Ottawa County Emergency Management Director Lou Hunt.
State EGLE staffers are securing contractors to clean up the site as soon as possible, along with looking at some long-standing oil wells in the immediate area that may be the source of that oil in order to prevent any further leakage.
The Ottawa County Parks Department has given no timeline as to when the affected area will reopen for recreational purposes.
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