5-12-17 street marking paint found in fdl river

Street marking paint accidentally spilled into the Fond du Lac River Thursday causing a brief concern.   Firefighters responded to a report of a “yellow cloud”   by the bridge over the Fond du Lac River at Western Ave and discovered a bright yellow substance discharging into the Fond du Lac River.   The discharge was tracked back to the Fond du Lac County Highway Garage on Dixie Street.  It was determined that paint used for street marking was accidentally rinsed into the storm sewer during a cleaning operation and an estimated 30 gallons of paint mixed with water was directed down the storm sewer.  The paint distributor says the substance is organic in nature and not harmful to the environment.  Western Ave was closed for several hours and traffic was rerouted.