An oil spill into the Miner County Drain west of Wade Road and originating south of Wilkinson Road in Owosso Township, reported by a hunter on Thanksgiving morning, could be as large as 1,000 gallons, an Environmental Protection Agency representative said Wednesday. It was initially estimated to be about 300 gallons.
Used motor oil was said to be involved. The oil reportedly originated at a nearby farm, said the EPA representative. Cleanup costs in nearly a 3-mile section of the drain could be in the $250,000 range.
The Miner Drain flows into the county’s State Drain to the north. The State Drain flows to the Shiawassee River, emptying about a quarter mile south of Juddville Road west of N. M-52. None of the oil got to the Shiawassee River, it had been stated previously. The Shiawassee River’s water eventually goes to the Shiawassee Flats near St. Charles, then the Tittabawassee River, then the Saginaw River, which flows to Bay City and into Saginaw Bay, which connects to Lake Huron, a drinking water source for more than 1 million people.
