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Photo by RHONDA ANDERSON
Detroiters protest outside Canflow. |
A victory in the field of environmental law can be expensive and difficult. But citizens of Detroit’s Greendale community have proven their mettle by blocking the dumping of hazardous wastes in their neighborhood after years of difficulty.
A Canadian company, Canflow Environmental Services, collected industrial waste and transported the materials as far as 150 miles from the Port Huron or Windsor borders to the Greendale Plant, according to border manifests. There, it dumped as much as 30,000 gallons of sludge into the neighborhood’s 81-year-old sewer system.
The local sewage system was often overwhelmed by the influx of chemicals, which seeped into residents’ toilets, tubs and basements. Homeowners began to notice a rash of bizarre illnesses and conditions that began soon after.
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Photo by RHONDA ANDERSON
Detroiters protest outside Canflow. |
Vicki Burton, now a community activist in Northeast Detroit, had family living around the corner from Canflow’s Detroit plant at the times of the dumping. Her daughter, Frances, 27, suffered from asthma and migraines. Her granddaughter, Niaya, 3, had already begun having breathing problems.
Burton said Niaya accumulated $14,000 in hospital bills and had to use a breathing machine.
Despite numerous complaints and videotaped recording of the dumping, city and state officials offered little help to residents. But this is because Canflow was allowed to dump up to 30,000 gallons per day under a Detroit Water and Sewerage Department discharge permit.
As media attention grew, so did outside support. In August 2001, Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality entered into an administrative consent order that fined Canflow for non-compliance of regulations.
In May 2002, Congressman David Bonior issued a statement decrying Canflow’s practices and urging the Department of Environmental Quality to strengthen its position and more closely monitor Canflow, which had been cited 15 times since 1996 for unacceptable levels of pollutants in its waste.
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s office soon pledged support for the community. Spokeswoman Regina Strong said that the mayor’s focus is to "clean up the city – from the litter on the streets to the bigger environmental issues."
February brought temporary victory for the neighborhood when the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department denied renewal of Canflow’s permits, which expired in March, for lack of data regarding the discharges.
Reports show that although Canflow may no longer be operating in Detroit, they have moved their operations to other areas, such as Chicago.
Greendale residents earned their victory, but it came at no small price. Their efforts serve as an example to community groups nationwide.