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...

[Jasper]

Pure Michigan!! Pure Ludington!!

[AQUAMAN]

Pure Ludington BS is what I say. Someone should get some water testing bottles, and get this thing on the move. Check out who did it independently for the Flint deal, and organize sending several bottles to them, and also the Health Dept.. Then see who might be trying to fool who? Is our HD system really reliable and truthful? Flint citizens say no now. These results plus the DNR report, and grants to COL, would all play a leading scenario of events that played out and are still being ignored for any attorney to get his teeth into. Topp Law Firm comes up on google as a leading environmental attorney firm in Gaylord, Mi. :989-731-4014 may be someplace to start asking questions about representation for an example.

[jfc123]

Name I received from my contact that asked Bill Schuette's office for a lead for me was named Joesph E Quandt 231-947-7900 khunrogers.com  out of Traverse City. Still waiting for a response from my constituent servicess complaint through the AG but we would like to move this along and get things started asap! I have not spoke to him yet and putting this out there to see what others know of him! The time has come and the time is now!