It’s a money flood for Adrian

The Michigan Legislature, in the fiscal year 2021-22 and 2022-23 supplemental budget, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Oct. 4, 2022, sent $12 million “for a grant to the City of Adrian to work with the Downtown Development Authority to remove blight, encourage development, and fund river cleanup activities” (Michigan House Fiscal Agency analysis, Sept. 29, 2022).

That’s a lot of Christmas cash.

“Fund river cleanup activities” seems like kind of a big task for the city of Adrian, given that the River Raisin and its tributaries that flow through the city (South Branch-Raisin) and that feed its drinking water reservoir (Wolf Creek) are a mess. The Environmental Protection Agency designates surface waterways as impaired if sampling shows that federal or state water quality standards aren’t met or if a waterway isn’t suitable for certain uses, like consuming fish caught or partial/full body contact. If the EPA approves impaired status for a waterway or watershed, a total maximum daily load (TMDL), or “pollution diet limit,” is enacted.

There are ways to verify this within EPA and state agency sources, but I’m going to save you a lot of time. The Raisin and almost all of its tributaries are a sewer. Almost all of it in Lenawee, from its different originating tributary watersheds north, west and south to its Lenawee County exit near Dundee are impaired (contaminated) with either PCBs, mercury, E. coli or nutrients. Bottom line: It’s risky to touch any of this water, even with a pinky finger.

So what can the city of Adrian do to clean up its portion?

Does it plan to dredge the river bottom within the city limits, to remove and appropriately dispose of PCBs and mercury? Has the city applied for even more available grant money to finally upgrade its drinking water and wastewater treatment plants and systems? Will it plant trees and replace the shrubby brush and grass layer on river banks within the city, those protective measures that are first-line critical in preventing river pollution? Will it restore natural wetlands and floodplains within the city?

Since the river flows from upstream to downstream, will the city strongly advocate for strengthened regulations on manure application and rural septic systems that send excessive E. coli and nutrients through the city, downstream to Blissfield, Deerfield and into Monroe County? How will the city continue to address the Brazeway site, the Citizens Gas/Race Street site, the former Adrian Dry Cleaning site across from Comstock Park? All are potential surface and/or groundwater contaminant or restricted use sites and under current orders (Source: the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s Michigan Environmental Mapper).

The city is participating in another program to replace lead service lines; however, the lead/copper plumbing inside homes needs to be replaced at the same time. High blood levels of lead were found in some of Adrian’s children. Adrian’s history of metal-working and uranium-processing industries are also a possible source of lead particulates from smokestack transport in yard soil and water away from the manufacturing sources. Is environmental testing planned?

Wayne State University’s Adrian tap water study from 2019 showed that half the samples collected contained DNA evidence of cyanobacteria, the carrier for dangerous cyanotoxins, and a few samples contained DNA evidence of toxins. WSU recommended further study. Does the city plan to do followup testing of its distribution system and service lines and in homes? Current testing is woefully inadequate, and it’s within the city’s power to do this.

What are the city’s measurable outcomes for “river” cleanup?

Or will the city ignore water quality in the Raisin and use this money for value-added, private-profit projects along the banks, such as canoe and kayak liveries and parks? It’s hard to tell since the city’s template and plan for the future includes nothing about water quality or water/sewer infrastructure.

Let’s hope this doesn’t become another taxpayer-funded “plant flowers around it and call it good”, where a few gain and others lose.

Pam Taylor is a retired Lenawee County teacher and an environmental activist. She can be reached at ptaylor001@msn.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Pam Taylor: It’s a money flood for Adrian