AVON LAKE, Ohio — More than 6,600 gallons of chemicals spilled from the Lubrizol plant in Avon Lake earlier this month, sending a mixture into Powdermaker Creek, which flows into Lake Erie.

At a City Council meeting this week, members pressed Lubrizol over what they said was a slow response to the incident. Ward 1 Councilman Rob Shahmir says the company took more than 24 hours to mobilize containment and recovery teams.

"The positive side was the city's response," Shahmir said. "The other side of it is the response that was mounted by Lubrizol. ... (It) took a little longer than it should have."

He also criticized the company's containment measures.

"The containment structure that was put in (was) effectively driftwood," he noted, "so that is like trying to contain water in a colande

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