The Big Stink in Ludington's Fourth Ward

[XLFD]

The Ludington Wastewater Treatment Plant (LWWTP) is having problems earlier in the year than normal.  A Fourth Ward resident (and she is not the only one) more than a mile away from the closest part of the LWWTP is having a sulfurous odor wafting into her house in these warm spring days from that source. 

The Ludington Torch has previously noted some studies showing the high levels of ammonia present at the LWWTP and the city has admitted to unsafe levels of heavy metals being tested at the site.  Also part of the record is that we haven't had a valid discharge permit for the LWWTP since 2011, the only other facility with that distinction in Mason County for any time is Oxychem who have also failed to have NPDES discharge permits since 2011 and dump their effluent into the same PM Lake system, an extension (the PM Bayou) of which has been tested extremely high in lead, mercury, copper and every other worrisome pollutant. 

City Manager John Shay, who should have little credibility on any subject like this after lying to the media about lead in the drinking water and conducting secretive schemes to keep this out of the public eye provides a lame defense of which the public should demand some accounting of, rather than accept his dishonored word.

LUDINGTON — Cheri Rozell thought she would take advantage of the nice weather overnight and sleep with her house windows open. She said she woke up to a sulfur-like smell at her Second Street home in Ludington’s Fourth Ward.

Jennifer Pianto, who lives at the corner of Fifth Street and Sherman Street said the odor was even worse Saturday night in that area.

“I understand that we live close to some industrial businesses and some unpleasant smells are to be expected, but what has been happening lately is truly pretty disgusting,” Pianto said. “It tends to be overnight when it’s worst. We have had a lot of headaches and just want to make sure our kids are safe.”

The smell is coming from the city’s wastewater treatment facility located on Sixth Street east of Pere Marquette Township. City Manager John Shay said part of the reason for the odor is that the plant’s aeration system has reached the end of its life expectancy and the plant is having trouble providing enough air into the sewer lagoons to prevent the odors.

Shay said the issue has been going on over the last several months, as the aeration system continues to deteriorate.  The extent of the odor is also determined by the speed and direction of the wind, Shay said.

“The amount of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) waste coming from industrial users is higher than what the City’s WWTP can handle,” Shay said. “This system will be replaced as part of the significant upgrades to the WWTP that will take place in the next two to three years.  In the short term, we are working with the industrial users to reduce their BOD waste to the WWTP to a level that can be properly handled by the current aeration system.

“We are also determining if there are any short-term repairs that we can make to the aeration system without having to demolish these repairs when the WWTP is upgraded in the next two to three years.”

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2016/04/18/fourth-ward-residents-co...

[AQUAMAN]

Speaking of Big Stink, please, anybody, somebody, pick up that petition for 4th Ward City Council seat sometime Tuesday the 19th, or you'll be stuck with that Illinois appointed attorney for another 3 years!!!!!

[dowland]

Amen to that Aquaman

[Willy]

I wondered what that smell was. I could have sworn it was coming from City Hall.

[XLFD]

Maybe City Hall has figured out how to do ventriloquism with smells instead of sounds?  I rode my bicycle out towards the LWWTP today, started noticing a smell right around Conrad Industrial.  The wind was N-NE, so it didn't go any further into the Fourth Ward. 

If conditions don't improve, and with our prevailing south and southwest winds in the summer months, Poncho's Pond and some of the other open air facilities in PM Township aren't going to be happy.

[jfc123]

There is so much that is wrong going on here. This is why they always try to belittle this MDEQ report, due to liability and negligence. Maybe also why they brought an out of town lawyer that knows how to suppress public comment? Maybe why there is probably no one contending him? Maybe why they huddle up after every meeting and don't approach us?

Here is a small comment I received on a state constituent svs. complaint about 5 years and no WWTP permit:

Ludington WWTP.  The permit was issued September 2015.  It requires meeting final limits with the discharge location moved from the cut-off oxbow to the Pere Marquette by 9/1/19.  Engineering has to be done by 7/1/16, and construction started by 7/1/17. We will look to see if the discharge pipe can be accelerated. This schedule will address any water quality impacts to the PM oxbow. Currently, there are no known public health impacts from the discharge. 

 

Occidental Chemical (Ludington). We expect comments back on our draft permit from Occidental by mid-February 2016. If they agree with the draft permit it could be public noticed for 30 days, and potentially issued by April 1, 2016. However, we don’t know if they will have additional comments on our latest draft. The draft permit requires compliance with limits upon issuance. But it does indicate that these limits (i.e. ammonia) can be achieved by treatment or lining of the lagoon. This will address any water quality impacts. Currently, there are no known public health impacts from the discharge.

Occdential knows along with the COL Council that there is and has been excess ammonia discharged. This is why the MDEQ has made the COL upgrade their plant. They do not want to mess with the Pere Marquette bayou because the ammonia, or smell as described, goes right into the drinking water system, again why the huddle. Also why we have so many darn weeds!

They have ignored the levels of copper also which as a heavy metal is worse than lead on the brain and nervous system. At Krauches lead they posted only 2 pages of a 480 page report, a conclusion to the question that the city who paid for it asked. Further inspection shows way worse that Krauch mentioned.

For some reason there is a MAJOR cover up going on here. The state AG is taking a very long look and asking me for patience, which we have no choice but to offer. Something is going on that your city council and attorneys are hard at work covering up but there is just way too much out there, they don't have a big enough dust pan! Not sure and praying that they cant beat the state AG!

[XLFD]

I hope you are getting more than lip service from the AG on the neglect of our environment by the COL leaders.  It should not surprise anybody about former three term mayor, John Henderson's leadership role at Occidental Chemical and their ignorance of their NPDES permit renewals happening in 2011, when he was mayor. 

[shinblind]

Shay's statement is troubling. 

“The amount of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) waste coming from industrial users is higher than what the City’s WWTP can handle,” Shay said."

Can someone find out who these industrial users are and list both the severity and volume of waste that is over-taxing Ludington's Wastewater Treatment Plant? 

Shay must know who the offending industrial users are since he claims to be working with them.

We don't need another sweetheart deal orchestrated between Shay and the industrial offenders like the deal Shay worked out between the taxpayers and Michigan Power.

Certain disabilities prevent me from calling Shay up and calling him out on this.  

[Jasper]

The puzzling question is not only who the Industrial users are but where are these industrial users suppose to discharge their exceeded amount that Shay is speaking of? This explanation by Shay is not only confusing but questionable.

[AQUAMAN]

"Breaking News": Criminal charges for the Flint water catastrophe are in progress. Gov. Rick Snyder just had a news conference on this today. To be fired or suspended: EPA members, DEQ Chief, City Water Dept. head, and many more culpable, including, and perhaps, the Governor himself for oversight and negligence. Citizens from Flint have organized a major lawsuit and complaints all over the place. This may be Very BIG! Parts per billion reported as contaminated were not only off in measurement, outright fraud in reporting accurately has been uncovered by reliable lab testing independently of the authorities. This should just trickle down to locals like the city council members, CM Shay, Mayor, WWTP Chief, and DPW Chief, just to name the obvious. Stay tuned for more updates on your local channels, and national channels now. Disgusting and quite obviously, deadly for Flint residents affected. I'm appalled and shocked!!!

[Willy]

This Flint situation is getting out of control. In my opinion, the City of Flint is the main responsible agent in this fiasco. They had knowledge of the presence of lead piping for most likely a hundred years or so and did nothing to replace them even when lead was considered an unhealthy element. Other cities such as Lansing have had a program, for years, to replace lead piping and I believe they have completed that task. Lansing BWL is in fact helping Flint with the lead pipe removal process.  Flint took the easy way out and tried to put a bandage on the problem by adding an anti corrosion chemical to the water. Great, another compound to consume. This problem was created by ignoring a situation that could have turned bad at anytime and in fact did. Flint is trying to play the blame game but they are the ones who kicked the can down the road.

[jfc123]

I believe that is going into the creamy corners drain flowing into the PM bayou. This is why comments made by myself about the WWTP were scratched from the minutes. There is a major problem with this WWTP and its inability, most noted by a major failure June 8 2008. They did nothing as corrective measures to the plant or the mess left behind in the PM bayou, even though funds were available, they spent them elsewhere.

This problem is catching up to them. Maybe why there was no response by Occidental to the regulations the COL is trying to propose with limits. Any industrial entity is paying a lot more money to the city for sewage and hazardous discharge, these monies are also supposed to be used to maintain where the discharge goes (creamy corner drain, PM bayou) but the COL spends them elsewhere. There is a major failure here by all city officials and they have been doing nothing but covering it up but it has come to a point that its about to hit the fan. I don't think many innocent people will stand with the crooks specially after the AG charges announced today. Remember to get things better report your concerns to the AG through the state constituent services division, the more the merrier we will be!

I look forward to a different Ludington in the near future, a more properly run and consideration for all type of governance, this is not the 1950's.

[Jasper]

I empathize with you. However it really is in your best interest to seek competent legal counsel. The current MI attorney general is far too removed from concerns from oridinary everyday citizens. Rather he spends his time on attempting to prosecute the two senators, appointing an attorney from his office regarding missing baby Kate, and of course his biased disregard for medical marijuana. Seriously you and your family need to get an attorney to capture the COL's attention!!