State officials have ordered the owner of a barge that sunk in November in West Grand Traverse Bay to remove the vessel by May 27 or face possible criminal charges.

According to a release from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the barge and an attached crane sank near Greilickville in Leelanau County late last November. EGLE and the U.S. Coast Guard contacted the barge owner, Balcom Marine Contractors Inc., to work out a recovery plan. After the vessel sank, “the Coast Guard immediately assessed the sunken vessel for the possible release of fuel and hired a contractor to clean up any polluting liquids,” according to EGLE. “The contractor pumped all the oil and fuel from the barge and crane in December.”

EGLE has issued two violation notices to Balcom Marine Contractors to date over the incident. Notices sent in December and March cite Balcom Marine Contractors for violating the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act by allowing pollutants to enter Grand Traverse Bay and not removing the barge from state bottomlands. “Any leaking substances pose a threat to the public and the environment, and the barge could cause navigational and recreational hazards in the Bay,” according to EGLE.

Following the first violation notice, EGLE obtained an agreement from Balcom Marine Contractors to remove the barge by May 27, after the weather improves. If the barge is not removed by the agreed-upon deadline, the owner will be the subject of a criminal investigation and possibly face criminal charges. A March 5 violation letter affirms the deadline to remove the sunken barge. “EGLE will continue to monitor the site as well as the owner’s actions in compliance with the agreement,” the department said in the release.