Torrential downpours earlier this week wreaked havoc in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, but not simply due to flooding, but the leaks that resulted from them.

In Lordstown, Jim McCauley spotted an oily sheen in the creek that runs behind his home on S. Leavitt Road, near Palmyra Road.

"Creek was high after all the rain, I looked in and there was this nasty film on top of it and residue sitting all over the place.", he said.

McCauley owns chickens and shared his concerns for his livestock and others living nearby, but added the Lordstown Fire Department and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were quick to respond.

Lordstown Fire Chief Travis Eastham says the fire department and EPA traced the product back to retention ponds on property is owned by Ohio Commerce Center.

The EPA issued 21 News this statement saying:

"Ohio EPA was notified April 2 by the local fire department of a diesel fuel release impacting a waterway near South Leavitt Road in Lordstown. The source of the release was determined to have originated from the Spirongo Lordstown LLC/Ohio Commerce Center property. An estimated 500 gallons of diesel fuel was released and accumulated in the on-site storm sewer and containment area. Recent rains pushed a portion of the diesel into the nearby creek, although most of the released fuel was contained on the property.

Vacuum trucks recovered approximately 7,000 gallons of water/diesel mix and will transport it for proper disposal. The facility is now conducting maintenance cleanup actions.
 
There have been no impacts to drinking water or nearby wildlife. A notice of violation was issued to Spirongo Lordstown LLC for the unpermitted release of diesel fuel into the state's waters." 
Spirongo Lordstown LLC owns Ohio Commerce Center.
 
On the Westside of Youngstown, this abandoned property on Bears Den Road, which used to be a gas station, was the culprit of a petroleum leak on Tuesday.
 

Fire Chief Barry Finley says one of the storage tanks underground rusted through, allowing rain water to fill it up and spill petroleum all over the lot. The EPA dammed it up, and a cleaning company was hired to help. 

Finley says its a problem too big for his department to tackle and that there are other underground storage tanks throughout the city.

Debora Flora with the Mahoning County Landbank says the state's brownfield program opened the door for grant funding to remove underground storage tanks like these ones, but that the company has not reached out to them to put an application in.

According to the state auditor's website--Bismillah Group USA bought the property in 2010, but owe approximately $20,990.64 in property taxes. 21 News reached out to them but have not heard back.