PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is currently working to contain and clean up a soybean oil spill that contaminated the Grand River over the weekend.
According to the Ohio EPA, between 400 and 500 gallons of soybean oil was released into the river and another 1,000 to 2,000 gallons spilled onto the ground.
Previously, authorities told News 5 that the spill happened when Erie International, located on Hardy Road, accidentally released the vegetable oil.
On Wednesday, the Ohio EPA provided more information about how the spill happened.
"The spill occurred during a cleaning operation, when a pump was left on and overflowed a wastewater retention pond, spilling into a ditch, which flowed into a storm drain, and ultimately flowed into the Grand River," the Ohio EPA said.
The company that owns Erie International said it took immediate action following the spill and contacted a waste management company and local authorities.
You can see the spill in the player below:
After the spill, the Lake County Hazardous Intervention Team responded to the scene and supplied a containment boom, which floats on the top of the water to keep released liquids in a confined area that can be vacuumed off.
The Ohio EPA said the cleanup process will take several days, and reports that as of now, the spill has not harmed any fish or wildlife in the water.
"Although the release has been contained, Ohio EPA continues working with the responsible party to ensure the spill is properly cleaned up," the agency said.
The Grand River is open for recreational use, however, anyone on a kayak or canoe is asked to avoid the area where the containment boom is located near the North St. Clair Street bridge.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
