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...

[jfc123]

I appreciate your empathy and agree that it seems we need an attorney also, competent is easy to find, non corrupt not so much. Things  that are working in Flint and the corrective measures happening are not due to attorneys though, It is because of whistle blowers  and a responsive state government. The AG office is a big office, we need them to agree so the clean up happens. Until then the damages due to this WWTP failure and continual failures to come continue to mount.

[AQUAMAN]

I've been pretty outspoken and insisting on an Environmental Attorney for this all along Jasper. We need to have a group fund the attorney, say if 6 local marinas all chip in $1,000, that's $6k to get the ball rolling and down the alley pretty far imho. Shay is the worst of the crew in denial and arrogance, his head should be on the block first and foremost, along with the rest of the Klan ignoring all this for 8 years now.

[jfc123]

We are in.

[Jasper]

Yea well Governor Snyder is seeking legal counsel at taxpayer's expense. Just a measly 1 million for his attorneys. Governor Snyder has a net worth of just a measly $200 million. This was reported by www.clickondetroit.com. Why should tax paying citizens of Michigan pay for this?

[jfc123]

I wonder if I pour bleach in the water if it will steam as an ammonia/bleach mixture does? Remember that tested sediment was under the bottom of the bayou, and as I have pointed out they talk of lining the bottom. Maybe this was done then the sediment sampled? Never was the WATER sampled! AGAIN NEVER was the water sampled. Just sayin......... there is a big story here and a major cover up being attempted.

[jfc123]

Why would they not test the water itself and just under the bottom? The WWTP permit requires them to, why is this not public knowledge? They are required to maintain this by discharge into it and charging for it but when did that happen? Nice job COL!

[AQUAMAN]

Anyone can go to the Health Dept. and get some sampling bottles for water testing. Someone could get several bottles, have them sent in to private lab testing facilities, as well as the HD, and see how the results come back. That would give the local marinas a good test on how bad the situation really is.

[jfc123]

Story just aired on Fox2 Detroit about a bubbly substance in a ground in Southfield, MI. The DEQ sampled and said it was ok just maybe a salt type brine. Shocking thing was that the city actually took a stance against the DEQ and is hiring its own experts due to a lack of faith in the DEQ. Guess Krauch isn't any part of their governance! He would have got out his broom and lifted the PM rug and swept it. Sad this man can not be an upstanding joe! Pick 2 pages out of 480 to make a point and the city posts on their website? Holy Cow! you cant make this up! 

We are ready to join the group Aquaman, even if it is smaller!

I think they expect more frequent failures of their WWTP, based on DEQ reports and that is why they don't want to act. What else could it be?

[stump]

I went and got the bottles to test a well last summer for a house I was selling. It now coast $32.00 to get the bottles from the health dept. Then you have to pay for postage to send it in to the state for testing which also has to be sent by priority mail. No free testing anymore.

[shinblind]

stump

Somebody needs to be responsible and pay for all the water testing being done in Flint. We can't expect the residents  of Flint to pay for it themselves when the city is broke. Unfortunate that you have to subsidize someone else's misfortune.

[Willy]

I do believe that the potable water testing is nothing like the tests used for open waters. Even if you test it yourself I'm sure they would question any test as being tainted because it wasn't conducted by an "expert". It will cost more money but this test should be done by a reputable and qualified laboratory that is certified for this particular testing.

[Willy]