The toxic, bright green liquid discovered oozing onto I-696 in Madison Heights came from a shuttered factory that environmental officials spent about $2 million and nearly a year to clean up.

So how did the green slime, which was groundwater contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, end up on a freeway? Read more here.

All photos taken in 2017.

Photos by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Pit in the basement. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Map and location of samples collected. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Basement conditions. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
First floor plating. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Rock for grading and preparing the parking area where the command post will be located. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Crew using rock to prepare parking lot where command post will be located. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Drums of waste in west building. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Spent plating waste in vat. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Unsafe floor rusting through. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Stairs leading to plating lines. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Overflowing pit in basement. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Decon area in the CRZ. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Decon area in the CRZ. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Roll-away dumpster for non-haz waste. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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