‘Gross negligence’: popular Michigan river hit with second chemical spill in four years

Spill is yet another example of how contamination from corporate polluters can endanger entire communities, critics say

The FBI and local officials are investigating the recent release of dangerous chemicals into Michigan's Huron River, a 130-mile-long waterway that is popular for fishing and recreation and supplies drinking water for more than 100,000 people in Ann Arbor as well as other south-eastern Michigan communities.

On 29 July, Tribar Manufacturing, a maker of exterior trim components for vehicles located in a western suburb of Detroit, discharged up to 10,000 gallons of waste containing hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, into a local sewer system on, according to Michigan's department of environment, Great Lakes and energy, the state's environmental regulatory agency.