Do NOT Make Contact With the River: Advisory Issued for Upper Huron River Water Trail
Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom has been identified by state regulators as the source of a spill of a known carcinogen into the Huron River, as state officials warn the public not to swim or drink from the river until further notice. (Bridge Magazine photo by Kelly House)
Bad news. On August 2nd, 2022, state health officials warned residents and visitors to the Huron River to avoid “all contact” with the section of the Huron River stretching from North Wixom Road in Oakland County to Kensington Road in Livingston County. A spill of hexavalent chromium, the “Erin Brockovich chemical,” has contaminated the river. The section immediately affected includes Milford, Hubbell Pond (also known as Mill Pond), and Norton Creek downstream from the Wixom Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oakland County and Kent Lake, which straddles the Livingston and Oakland counties.
Residents and visitors are advised against swimming, wading or otherwise playing in the Huron River. They are not to drink the water, eat fish caught in that section of the river, nor water plants or the lawn with it. This includes pets.
The Huron River Watershed Council is communicating with state and local officials to get information and will continue to share what we know. Please visit hrwc.org for updates and read the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) press release for more information.