Water in Plum Brook Creek turns red

PERKINS TWP. — A discoloration discovered in Plum Brook Creek prompted NASA officials to clean up the area.A leak, which turned water into a reddish hue, occurred near a former entrance into Plum Brook, off Columbus Avenue's northernmost point.The incident, however, didn't create a public health outbreak or scare, according to Erie County emergency management director Tim Jonovich."All tests so far show that there was no hazard," Jonovich said.NASA spokeswoman Jan Wittry provided some additional answers, background and context in response to Register questions:Q: What happened?A: On June 21, local residents reported water with a red or rusty hue in Plum Brook Creek. NASA immediately worked with local officials and found the water to be emanating from NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky. NASA stopped the flow of water into the creek, preventing any further water from leaving NASA property. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency response staff have been onsite to provide technical assistance. The affected area of the creek does not have intakes that supply local drinking water, and we are not aware of any impact to fish or wildlife.Q: What's been done to remedy it?A: Immediately after being notified, NASA officials began working with Erie County and Army Corps of Engineers officials to identify the source of the discolored water. The water was traced to a pipe and a ditch near the Plum Brook Ordnance Works Remediation Project, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. NASA immediately plugged the pipe to stop the flow of water and blocked the ditch by building a dam, which stopped the flow of water into Plum Brook creek. In addition, Plum Brook Station worked with environmental contractors throughout the weekend to remove the remaining tainted water from the creek by using vacuum trucks at various points along the creek and pumping it back into holding tanks at Plum Brook Station. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency response staff were onsite to provide technical assistance; they have determined the quality of the water in the creek has returned to acceptable levels.Q: Is the water hazardous?A: We do not believe the discolored water is harmful. The Army Corps of Engineers conducted detailed testing and analysis on water in the area of the Plum Brook Ordinance Works Remediation Project earlier this month and found no hazards. The safety of the residents in the area surrounding Plum Brook Station, as well as the wildlife, is extremely important to NASA. For that reason, we have collected additional samples and sent them to various commercial labs for testing to confirm Erie County and Army Corps of Engineers' test results. It will take several days for results of those additional tests to arrive. We are continuing to work with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and environmental contractors to develop a plan of action to prevent this from happening again.Q: How could this have happened?A: Plum Brook Station is located on the site of the former Plum Brook Ordnance Works, which was established by the War Department for the production of munitions during World War II. Trace chemicals remaining in the soil can cause water to turn a reddish color. The Army Corps of Engineers has been on site at Plum Brook Station since the 1990s, working to remove trace contaminants from the soil as part of a federal cleanup process. The Corps has tested the water at Plum Brook Station numerous times and determined that it is not hazardous to humans or animals.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.A photo taken from this past weekend shows a discoloration, a reddish hue, of the water in Plum Brook Creek. A leak emanating from the NASA Plum Brook Station apparently caused the incident. Officials don't believe this should cause any public health outbreak or scare.