On *DoerrRoad *+ Water unsafe to drink at three homes Y I By Mike Eliasohn In July, 1979, under orders and then disposes of it in an DISCOVERY of water taken from the test mainly as a degreasing month specifically for TCE. from the DNR, the firm (TCE) to my knowledge,” approved landfill. wells showed styrene only agent. A determination will also be Ewald said. Regidents of three homes ceased disposing of 4,500 The DNR first learned of close to where the discharge Occupants of those two made what compounds are on WrRoad have been gallons of liquid waste Because of reduced carb- If, indeed, the TCE didn’t . per uretor production, the Walbro’s underground dis- was. homes were told Jan. 8 to no in the water at the third come from Walbro, Iversen advised not to drink water day into an underground pit posal in mid-1978, which As an added precaution, longer drink their water. home. their wells it is amount disposed of present- commented, “That becomes from because on its property, from which eventually led to its orders testing was also done at five At a third home’, traces of If a link is established . polluted with chemicals. it slowly seeped into the ly, according to Walbro a real bear,” meaning that Director of Purchasing Bill to ‘cease the underground homes on Doerr Road. as yet undetermined chem- between the TCE in the tracing it would be more ’ The state Department of ground. disposal, Water samples were taken icals were found after the home wells and at Walbro, ~ Natural Resources will be Ewald, is “way down.” He difficult The waste consisted pri- guessed the amount now is Walbro also had to agree by the Tuscola County ’ third sample was taken and Iversen said Walbro would One possible source, he testing to determine if the to have test wells sunk in Health Department in the occupants there were be directed to eventually chemicals from the marily of water, but also only 8,000 gallons a week. suggested, might be from come contained chemicals used to order to determine if any of October, December and advised Feb. 2 to obtain undertake measures to the homes themselves. TCE nearby Walbro plant on Of the chemicals used, the contamination from the January, their drinking water else- clean up the problem. Garfield Street. Evidence so fill pores in carburetor cast- is used in some home clean- ’ ings, promote curing of the main one of concern has underground disposal had According to Ed Kimbrue, where. That might mean having ing products, so might have far suggests it is not the res- spread and affected under- in, and as cleaning-agents. been hletaseal, used for the department’s director of to pump out the ground gotten into the wells from I source. filling pores, which contains ground water supplies. Six- environmental health, at one WHAT NEXT? water in the vicinity for the home septic systems, It was because of chemi- Since then, Walbro has 40 percent styrene. Styrene teen test wells have been home, the water contained prgper disposal elsewhere, a cals Walbro uses and wants had to pay a waste hauler to is a suspected cancer caus- drilled. 18 parts per billion of tri- What happens now, Iver- process the official ad- The solution for the home- to use that the contamina- truck the liquid to a Detroit ing agedt. It has not been According to William Iver- chloroethelene (TCE) and at sen said, is that samples of mitted, “certainly isn’t Owners, no matter where it tion in the home wells was might be coming from, will area waste disposal firm, found so far in .the home sen of the DNR’s hydro- another, 350. TCE is a water from the Walbro test cheap. ” ..discovered. - which solidifies the material wells. geological section, samples chemical compound used wells will be tested later this “We’ve never used it Please turn to page 17. .“I.,A- +.. , CASS CITY CHPnNICLE TWENTY PAGES Harmer’s coqlaint~ fail to stir board Clayton Harmer of Deford While Harmer was sug- variety served in the cafe- this, feefing that the years harangued the Cass City gesting a smoking room for teria. The board took no that administrators served School Board Monday night young adults, the board action on the complaints. the district should be with a long list of complaints adopted a policy to try to counted. about the way the school was eliminate smoking by stu- HOLD DRAWINGS In another action concern- operated in general and dents in restrooms. ing administrators the board treats his children in par- Accordingly a set of rules To clear up questions of adopted a resolution allow- ticular . was adopted. A proposal to seniority among teachers ing them to participate in In his list of complaints cut down partitions was the school will conduct 10 the Michigan Association of Harmer accused the school rejected. However, more or more drawings. The School Boards annuity pro- of : than one student in a parti- method will be used to grams. There is no addition- Showing favoritism to tioned area will be cause for determine positions on the a1 expense to the school but certain students over others. suspension. Teachers say seniority list for teachers the resolution was needed He went on to say that the that students crowd into the hired the same day. It goes for eligibility, administration “didn’t like areas to smoke. First of- back 15 or so years and my family and I can prove fenst? is a May SusWnsion. affects roughly 25 teachers, BUDGET AMENDED , it” and’then vowed to “take Second offense is 5 days and koGengler told the board THE RUBBLE can be seen, at left*the car Of Jim Nein’ano The garage, I his complaint to the State.’’ third offense is 10 days. that it really didn’t affect . The board approved an which belonged to his father, Bob Neiman, on M-81, burned Wednesday, Feb. 4, Operating buses for Pur- Lesser penalties for other teachers with long service amended budget. Revenues with loss estimated at $15,000. Fortunately, the fuel storage tank was empty. poses other than transport- infractions were authorized. but could be important to were prwtically the same ing students. Claimed that The smoking problem was recently hired teachers in while expenditures dropped one bus he clocked ran first aired at the January case of layaffs. slightly. The bad news is around town five times with- meeting. Another problem In another phase concern- that the school is projected out students and that other that was presented then was ing seniority Gail Narker to operate $154,626 in the red buseswereparkedattheBig also acted upon. It is a asked that administrators and that will eat into the $15,000 loss as garage, aRestaurant. Feels school should have ofchange studeut’s in the records. confidentiality Slight beity droppedlists. The from board the rejected senior- ‘lease turn to page 4* smoking room for 18-year- changes were made to con- old students if smoking is form with existing laws as allowed in the teachers’ required by the Federal gov- v 7 lounge. ernment. car, 8. nd tra (=torburn drennatedHarmer haveagainst feels been thatby discrimi- hispuspen- chil- boardmentAnother wasadopted federalmet newwhen require- guide- the Crouse freezes sions and undue discipline. lines for free and reduced Loss was estimated at Elkland Township Fire thought was a car door slam. dence on Woodland Street, After listening to Harm- price lunches. The change .1$,000 in a fire last Wed- Chief Dave McNaughton. He looked out and saw two blocks south of Main, at er’s request to have a sus- was in the amount families ’ -6lesday afternoon that Firemen received the call smoke. He called the fire 5:50 p.m. Friday because of pension stricken from his could earn and still qualify . destroyed a garage on M-81, about 2:3O p.m. department. By the time he a chimney fire. son’s record, the board took for the meals. The changes east of Dodge Road. The wood garage with got to the garage after that, Creosote inside the chim- no action thereby denying made it slightly harder to Supt. Donald Crouse an- financial bind at the school. it was in flames. Owner of the structure was metal roof had a wood bur- ney, which led to a wood the request. qualify but Supt. Crouse said nounced Monday at the reg- Grouse said that he had no Robert Neiman. ning heater and electricity. McNaughton said the burning heater, had ignited. Supt, Donald Crouse said that it affected only one family in the district, ular meeting of the Cass City recommendations for the re- Contents included a 1963 Jim Neiman had been acetylene tanks and gasoline that if Harmer’s statement School Board that he Will not mainder of the administra- in the car’s tank exploded By the time firemen ar- was true, that the bus was The hot lunch program Chevrolet, belonging to his working on his car in the rived, Fire Chief Dave Mc- be asking for any adjust- tive staff at this time. son, Jim, tractor, brush cut- garage, but the fire in the before firemen arrived. driven through’ town five was the subject of a corn- ment in his salary for the 1- Naughton said, the fire had times one morning, he plaint by Mrs, Rita Capps. 1981-82 school year. Teachers will not be af- ter, acetylene tanks, many heater was apparently out They were there about 1/4 hours. calmed down. They stood by should have told the admin- She appeared before the Crouse said that he made fected by the freeze in wages ‘901s and various other when he left.