County will get report on landfill

■ Commissioners question discharge amount of 1,4-dioxane.

By CHONG W. PYEN

NEWS STAFF REPORTER

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In Wednesday's court arguments, Gelman Sciences attorneys charged the city with practicing a 'double standard' and a 'lack of openness' in controlling pollution of the stream.
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Washtenaw County commissioners will get a full report on the effects of the pollutant discharge from the Ann Arbor sewer plant into the Huron River amid allegations that the city doesn’t practice what it demands from private polluters.

During their working session Thursday, commissioners engaged in an unscheduled debate on two ongoing environmental issues: the city's closed landfill and the Pall-Gelman Sciences contaminated groundwater cleanup.

“There are three miles of the Huron River running in my district. We've got a problem there,” said Raymond Schultz, R-Augusta Township.

He was referring to a claim by Gelman Sciences in Washtenaw County circuit court Wednesday that the city sewer plant releases contaminated water from its old landfill into the river at levels 100 times higher than what it insists on for water released by Gelman Sciences. The company is locked in an 11-year-long battle with the city, the county and Scio Township over remediation of groundwater tainted with the cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane that has been found in residential wells.

In Wednesday's court arguments, Gelman Sciences attorneys charged the city with practicing a “double standard" and a “lack of openness” in controlling pollution of the stream.

Gelman Sciences claims that the city sewer plant discharges an average of 320 parts per billion of 1,4-dioxane into the river while insisting on 3 parts per billion for the medical filter company. Under a court-approved compromise, the company is allowed to release 10 parts per billion in monthly average with a 30 parts per billion daily maximum.

Thomas Blessing, chief assistant city attorney, responded that the city is well within Department of Environmental Quality guidelines and cannot be compared with a private business.

But Schultz was unconvinced Thursday night.

“Is the city of Ann Arbor dumping leachate into the river?” he asked. “If 1,4-dioxane is bad for Gelman Sciences (above) 3 parts per billion, how in the hell does the city of Ann Arbor discharge 320 parts per billion and nobody asked questions? Even though it may be legal for the city to do that, I think citizens concerned about the environment should be screaming about it.”

Schultz demanded a report from the county’s public health department to see how his downstream constituents are affected.

Commissioner Carlos Acevedo, D-Ann Arbor, said he stands for uniform standards in pollution control, but that the city’s situation is different from Pall-Gelman’s.

"Leachate contains 1,4-dioxane, and that’s a known fact. But the city is responsibly handling the situation,” said the Ann Arbor commissioner. He said the city’s Solid Waste Commission is studying two options to curtail and control contaminants flowing into the river.

“I don’t think we should have double standards, one for the city and one for businesses,” Acevedo said. "We should request a formal report from the administration."

County Administrator Robert E. Guenzel said he will have a report prepared for the commissioners.