White foam at Melvindale-Detroit border identified
Photo by Dave Spencer, FOX 2
(WJBK) - Residents in Melvindale are starting to get some answers about the mysterious foam-like substance that keeps oozing out of the sewers.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says the source of the foam was from a substance that was used to coat the freshly-resurfaced parking lots. The heavy rains washed the substance into the stormwater catch basin, where they say it turned into the foam.
When the substance first appeared nearly two weeks ago, traffic was shut down near the Melvindale and Detroit border. Then the foam reappeared earlier this week, during the heavy storms.
Residents were concerned the substance was coming from a nearby refinery, and a Hazmat team helped with the cleanup.
Testing results from other agencies involved in the clean up are still pending.
The foam isn't believed to be toxic, but MDEQ is waiting for the manufacturer to give them more information before they say for sure. No evacuations were ever in place while crews cleaned up the mess.