Read the full article by Susan Bromley

“The Hamburg Township Board of Trustees has sent a letter to Wixom’s City Council requesting immediate action to ‘stop the environmental ruin of the Huron River.’

Health-damaging chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyls have been found by the Department of Environmental Quality to be discharging from Wixom’s wastewater treatment plant into Norton Creek, which feeds into the Huron River that runs through Livingston County…

‘Specifically, close the valve today!’ the letter reads. The township wants immediate and total elimination of the discharge of PFOS from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The letter also cited Hamburg Township residents’ feelings on the subject, including ‘abject disbelief,’ ‘anger’ and ‘fear for their health and the health of their families.’

‘The letter is pretty clear, we are asking them to take immediate action,’ Hamburg Township Clerk Mike Dolan said. ‘We want some action taken now rather than two more weeks. It has been identified it is coming from there. We have upwards of 3,000 plats up and down the Huron River and lakes and it’s affecting 8,000 to 10,000 residents in Hamburg.’ …

In Wixom, the chemicals are coming from Tribar, a manufacturing company connected to the city’s water treatment system.

Wixom City Manager Steven Brown said on Wednesday the city had not yet received the letter. Informed of the contents of the letter, he said the city is addressing all enforcement options at their disposal and had issued an administrative compliance order to Tribar for completion by Oct. 19.

Additionally, he said Tribar is implementing a mobile/temporary filtration system on Friday that will ‘dramatically lower levels of PFOS’ that are leaving the company’s plant number 4 in Wixom. Those chemicals are transmitted to the city’s wastewater plant and discharged into the creek.

‘We will use all enforcement options at our disposal,’ Brown said. ‘We understand people are concerned about the water supply, we are very concerned about water resources as well and are taking action accordingly.’ “