PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio – An apparently non-toxic vegetable oil product was accidentally released into the Grand River on Saturday, but officials said Sunday there do not appear to be any adverse effects on fish and wildlife .
A white substance was spotted on the river around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the Fairport Harbor and Painesville Township Fire Departments. The vegetable oil came from Erie International Group on Hardy Road, officials said.
Cleanup is underway by the Lake County Hazardous Response Team, with a containment boom from Lubrizol Corp. placed on the river at Grand River Landing Park on St. Clair Street. The oil is sucked up as it reaches the dam, officials say.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Lake County General Health District are monitoring the river and “have not identified any impacts to distressed fish or wildlife,” the press release said. The incident is under investigation.
The park remains open, but officials are asking kayakers and canoeists not to go past the containment dam.