The U.S. Coast Guard says a salvage dive team is in the waters off Kelley's Island in Lake Erie today to try and figure out the source of a mysterious substance discovered by divers over the weekend.
So far, Petty Officer Third Class Christopher Yaw says investigators have more questions than answers.
It's believed the unknown substance may be leaking from the barge that sank in 1937, but Yaw says officials haven't been able to confirm that.
"In order to actually be able to test it, we need to get a clean enough sample and at this point, we haven't been able to get any samples to be able to test."
Until investigators can identify what the substance is, Yaw won't speculate how long the cleanup will take, and he can't say if the remnants of Hurricane Patricia expected Tuesday night will hamper their efforts.
"Yesterday NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) did place a weather buoy out on the site that will help keep track of any on-scene weather."
There is a safety zone set up around the site to keep boaters out in case there is an inhalation hazard. Members of the Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team and Coast Guard Station Marblehead Ohio monitored air quality at the scene but couldn't detect any fumes.
Kelley's Island is located within U.S. waters, south of Pelee Island in Lake Erie.
