STANSBURY ISLAND, Utah — An unknown "sludge" material is currently leaking from multiple 55-gallon drums sitting on Stansbury Island along the Great Salt Lake.
More than a dozen drums are at the site on the side of the road, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), although it's not known how many are leaking.
The leaking drums were first discovered by a hiker on Thanksgiving morning. The hiker shared that they had seen the drums on previous hikes, but Thursday was the first time they were found to be leaking a "yellow-orange sludge material."
According to an incident report, the hiker shared that the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number on one of the drums showed it contained Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, which is used to make polyurethanes for producing foams, coatings and adhesives.
DEQ is investigating the substance to see what it is and how far it has reached, and whether it contaminated more than the soil.
"Did it get into any kind of water body? Was it in a creek or a lake near the Great Salt Lake? So, all of that will have to be verified through the investigation, and once we know that, then we can speak to it," said DEQ spokesperson Dave Noriega.
Once the investigation is completed, a plan will be implemented to clean up the substance.
FOX 13 News was at the site on Tuesday, where the leaking substance appeared to have frozen solid.
