Michigan: "DEQ Ignored Crucial Warning On Wolverine Dump Plume"

"BELMONT, MI -- Mark Worrall knew where to look.

Worrall, a state geologist, told his superiors at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in April 2017 that drinking water in homes southeast of Wolverine World Wide's now-infamous House Street sludge dump should be tested for toxic chemicals.

Instead of heeding the expert advice, emails obtained by MLive show DEQ supervisors did not act on the warning until a coincidence forced investigators to accelerate a slow-moving investigation into groundwater contaminated by Wolverine waste.

When properties Worrall identified were tested months later, one home's drinking water was so contaminated the results flabbergasted state toxicologists and health experts."

Garret Ellison reports for the Grand Rapids Press March 11, 2018.