#huron river

People sitting under trees in park along the river. Some sitting on picnic table. Very bright light reflected off river through trees. Printed on label on mat back: "Huron River Drive."

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and local officials are investigating the recent release of dangerous chemicals into Michigan’s Huron River, a 130-mile-long waterway that is popular for fishing and recreation and supplies drinking water for more than 100,000 people in Ann Arbor as well as other south-eastern Michigan communities.

Then, despite alarms signaling the spill, a plant operator overrode the alarm 460 times in roughly three hours, according to the agency, failing to report the spill for more than two days.

The July event marks the second time in four years that Tribar has been blamed for releasing harmful chemicals into the water, and, critics say, is yet another example of how contamination from corporate polluters can endanger entire communities.

Hexavalent chromium, also called chromium-6, is used in stainless steel production, electroplating and in the manufacturing of dyes, inks, and surface coatings and other products. Research has linked chromium compounds to lung cancer, liver damage, reproductive problems, and developmental harm.

The 2000 film Erin Brockovich brought chromium-6 to national attention, featuring the true-life tale of a legal assistant who discovered elevated rates of cancer and death among residents of Hinkley, California, were linked to the contaminant in their drinking water.

Tribar said in a statement that the worker responsible for overriding its alarm system resigned from the company the day the spill was reported. State water regulators issued violations and continue to press the company for answers, including why the employee was present at the plant when it wasn’t in production.

A spokesperson for the FBI did not specify the scope of its inquiry, but told the Detroit Free Press that the agency can become involved in an incident involving a chemical leak when there is potential criminal activity. ​​

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Families park their trailers and set up camp along the Huron River.

Michigan

If you want to submit a request for a prayer, poem, or song to be written to you privately or to be posted on this blog or my Patreon for a God, Ancestor, or spirit, sign up for the Ansuz and above level here on my Patreon. This request was made by Maleck Odinsson for the Huron River. Hail to the Huron River Called Giwitatigweiasibi by the Wyandot Called Ana by the Druids who know Her I hail…