FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The environmental protection agency is investigating one the biggest finds to ever be fished from the Chattahoochee.
A huge chemical tank was floating down the river on Friday afternoon. However, the massive metal drum was empty.
Douglas County officials were able to take a closer look and tied it off until it could be taken out Saturday morning.
"We have found just about everything you can possibly imagine during our cleanup and river patrols, but this one's new," river keeper Jason Ulseth said.
Ulseth tells Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach he has never seen a drum this size and with a sticker of red and black writing, a skull and cross bones, and 'Warning: Danger. '
"The most concerning part was whether or not there were actual chemicals in this tank," Ulseth said.
The organization alerted the EPA and an emergency response unit was on the Chattahoochee at first light Saturday to inspect, then carefully tow the tank down river.
They could tell it was empty, but initial tests inside the drum found no evidence of hazardous compounds or a toxic release into the water.
"And they weren't able to detect any of those volatile chemicals, which was good," Ulseth said.
It took a while, but they got the tank to a boat ramp and up onto a trailer, but the mystery remains as to what exactly was inside and where it came from.
"But EPA is looking into that," Ulseth said.
The investigation can look for ID or serial numbers on the tank and possibly trace it back to who dumped it.
More chemical testing can find out what was stored in it.
Cox Media Group
