07/09/2006

Record-Eagle/Pat Sullivan
Larry Washburn has been unable to sell his Cedar Creek Township home near the Wexford County Landfill despite lowering the price almost $50,000.

Dump contamination pits county against residents

Falling property values upsetting owners in area

By PATRICK SULLIVAN

psullivan@record-eagle.com

MANTON — Larry Washburn figures he should get more than the list price of $134,000 for his 2,400-square- foot geodesic dome house tucked away on 20 wooded acres in a scenic area of Wexford County.

But the house has been on the market for months, even as the price dropped from $180,000. Washburn worries he won't find a buyer.

The catch is that the home is less than a mile away from the troubled Wexford County landfill, where contaminants from the dump leached into and ruined neighboring residential wells.

Washburn's water hasn't tested positive for contamination, and the house isn't located in an at-risk zone, but Washburn believes buyers are scared off by its proximity to the dump.

"I ain't in the box and I still can't get nobody to look at it," Washburn said, referring to a contamination zone where tainted water required some residents to have new wells drilled.

Phil Roycraft, a supervisor at the state Department of Environmental Quality's waste management division, said the primary contaminant from the landfill is TCE, an industrial degreasing solvent that probably came from industries in Cadillac in the 1970s and '80s before a liner was installed to stop leachate from spilling into groundwater.

He said the zone shows varied levels of contamination, from no TCE to traces to just over the Environmental Protection Agency's standard for safe drinking water.

Washburn isn't alone among Cedar Creek Township residents who are fed up with the contamination. Several are in a fight with county officials over an alternate water supply and many of them want a municipal water system, believing it's the only way to remove the tainted water stigma.

Some in the county — including Wexford County commission chair Larry Copley — want a study of a "deep well" solution. Copley said the decision ultimately will rest with the DEQ, whose officials will determine whether deeper wells are a viable alternative to a municipal supply.

Deep wells are estimated to cost $1.2. to $1.7 million, depending on the number of wells needed; a municipal system has been projected at anywhere from $1.9 to $3.5 million.

The issue came to light in 2004 when six residential wells showed levels of contamination. Since then, the number of wells that have shown traces of contamination has grown to 14, and the county paid for deeper wells at four residences and a portion of the cost at a fifth residence.

The stalemate has been of no help to people like Washburn, who contend they've watched their property values plummet since the discovery of contamination. Washburn said he needs to move because the cost of commuting to his job in Big Rapids is too much — $580 for fuel in June — and he said he can't find a job in Cadillac that pays as well.

Copley defended the county's reaction to the contamination, and said officials have worked hard to come up with a solution that will keep the landfill safe and viable in the future.

County property values have been stagnant in general, he said, and residents were provided safe water.

"I don't really know that we legally owe them anything. Currently we've gone above and beyond to provide them water," Copley said.

Some residents prefer the deep well solution because they don't want to face a monthly water bill, he said.

The dispute could have more far-reaching implications than sinking property values.

Township residents must pass an ordinance to sign off on a landfill remedial action plan by fall. If the township doesn't sign off, the landfill likely won't get an expansion permit from the state and could reach capacity and have to close by 2112.

Copley called that "the fly in the ointment," but said he was hopeful an agreement could be reached with the township.

"For me, it's just taking on this air of insanity," said Rita McNamara, a township resident who for months sat on a landfill "user group" that included public officials, including Copley, and business representatives who attempted to solve problems at the dump.

McNamara and Cedar Creek Township Clerk Pat Buttermore quit the group in May because they believed it made public policy decisions in secret, allegedly in violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act.

The resignations left the group without any township representation.

"I strongly believe they should be addressing the contamination issue before they address the out-of-county trash issue," Buttermore said of plans to avoid closure and to keep rates low by expanding the dump and taking in more waste.

Tentative plans call for expansion of the dump by up to 100 acres on land already owned by the county.

"They need to make sure our residents, their children, and their children's children have clean water before they look at bringing in more trash," Buttermore said.

Wexford commissioner William Barnett said the county should come up with a solution that will please township residents, even if it means paying for a municipal water supply.

"Whatever concessions need to be made, on both sides, need to be made," Barnett said. "Instead, there's small-town politics, backstabbing, haggling, every little small-town tactic you can think of."