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While inspecting a storm drain in Kiwanis Park Wednesday, a city lab manager discovered a catch basin filled with oil that appeared to have been dumped there intentionally.
The contaminated drain, located on Smith Street west of Lakeview Middle School, Warsaw, empties into a public access point connected to Winona Lake.
Upon hearing of the discovery, wastewater and street department workers began a cleanup operation to remove the oil from both the drain pipe, soil and surrounding water supply.
"Most times we catch someone changing their oil and dumping the remnants into our systems, but this looks like someone dumped a 55-gallon drum into the drain," Wastewater Department Head Dave Henderson said.
Workers spent the afternoon digging up the ground around the storm drain in efforts to clean out the piping.
Flotation devices, which the department calls "pigs," also were placed around the water exposed to the polluted pipe to soak up any oil present in the creek.
"Everybody calls this area 'Lake City,' and are proud of the recreation, wildlife and environment," Henderson said. "Why someone would do this is beyond me. This could have been a major destructive act if it would have gone unnoticed."
During cleanup, workers found the pipe had clogged due to the oil, allowing little to no material to be released into the water.
"Conditions could be worse, it would be much harder to get it out of the water than it is to get out of the ground," Henderson said. "Either way, people should never be dumping anything into the storm basins."
The incident was reported to the Indiana Department of Environmental Affairs, which then instructed Warsaw officials on proper emergency response.
Contaminated soil around the drain was extracted, and samples of soil in other areas of the park were sent to a Fort Wayne laboratory to determine how far the pollution spread.
Workers vacuumed the storm drain, and reported minor damage to the brick structure in the catch basin. Repairs to the structure will be scheduled.
The Warsaw Police Department is investigating the incident, though Henderson reported no leads.
"This is a criminal act that could have caused major environmental damage," Henderson said. "I hope those responsible are caught so something like this doesn't happen again."
The wastewater department recently mailed out surveys to determine how well the public was educated on sewer and drainage systems inside of Warsaw. Though Henderson said a good response was being generated, Wednesday's finding was something the department hoped to prevent.
Anyone with information concerning the Kiwanis Park oil dump or any other illegal discharge can call 574-372-9562.
