FLAT ROCK, Michigan (WXYZ) – Ford Motor Company has issued a statement saying its Flat Rock assembly plant is the “likely source” of a gas odor that caused a state of emergency in Flat Rock.
The statement reads as follows:
We take our responsibilities as a corporate citizen and to protect the environment seriously. For the past few days, we have been working with municipal, state and federal agencies to understand and address the issue at Flat Rock.
On Wednesday afternoon, we discovered what appeared to be a relatively small leak in a pipeline carrying gasoline used to power vehicles built at the plant. We shut down the fuel pipe, convened experts to remove the gas from a containment tank and the main storage tank, and alerted officials of what we found. We then believed that the leak was contained in our property.
With the support of external experts, we continued to investigate. Today we determined that the scale of fuel leaks was much larger and that Ford is the likely source of the problem in Flat Rock, so we apologize. We are dealing with the issue urgently; there are more things we need to know to safely develop and implement a corrective plan. In the meantime, as planned, the plant will remain closed during the Labor Day weekend. As a precaution, we are in the process of isolating wastewater from our owned city system. Ford is assisting government officials as community cleanup work begins.
With officials, we also identify people who have suffered life for this and are committed to helping neighbors as we work through this issue.
We will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Bob Holycross Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering Ford
Officials say the odor was first reported Monday night, which soon culminated in a joint operation with more than ten local, state and federal agencies involved.
According to initial reports, the smell started south of the Gibraltar road extending as far as Huron River Drive, and then this morning it has spread to north Vreeland.
The Wayne County Executive Office says hazardous material teams from the Wayne County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are assisting local officials with the response. The Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Michigan also help.
According to officials, the spill does not affect the community’s drinking water. Four houses were evacuated near a treatment plant and the River Heights Academy was closed with great caution.
Flat Rock residents are advised to smell a strange odor in their home by calling 734-782-2496.
On Friday night, the state of Michigan released the following update on the situation saying that a special foam will be used to suppress the odor:
The city of Flat Rock plans to use fire-fighting foam to suppress vapors found this week in the city’s health system.
Officials also identified a potential source of the substance. The industrial facility has taken steps, including the insertion of plugs into the on-site sanitary sewer system to prevent it from entering the city’s sanitary system at a location north of Gibraltar Road, on the property of the Ford Flat Rock.
The emulsifying foam solution, which does not contain the polluting PFAS, is designed to bind with hydrocarbons (such as gasoline) to help break down organic compounds. It will be applied to the affected sanitary sewers to reduce combustibility.
High levels of benzene have been detected in a 4-square-kilometer perimeter that includes areas south of Vreeland Road, east of Cahill Road, north of Woodruff Road, and west of Interstate 75.
At least a dozen federal, state and local agencies have responded to Flat Rock to determine the source and identify the substance, which was first reported to the city in the early hours of the morning of Aug. 31.