PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - An attorney representing Plainfield and Algoma townships in a lawsuit over contaminated water announced Tuesday that Wolverine Worldwide will not cover the costs of a new system unless 3M helps pay the tab.
Attorney Douglas Van Essen accuses Wolverine Worldwide of an "abrupt about-face.''
"The company is delaying the inevitable with the sole purpose of trying to put pressure on 3M, which manufactured the chemicals, to contribute to the costs,'' he said in a news release.
Van Essen said there's "virtually no chance" that Plainfield and Algoma townships will be able to extend municipal drinking water within the next year to residents with contaminated wells. This comes after Wolverine ended settlement discussions, he said.
"The townships will now explore all avenues open to them to hold Wolverine accountable for its actions,'' he said in a news release.
Van Essen was joined by leaders from Plainfield and Algoma townships on Tuesday morning to announce that settlement discussions had broken down.
“Clearly we were wrong to trust Wolverine to do the right thing on their own,’’ Plainfield Township Superintendent Cameron VanWyngarden said. “The company has told us over and over and over again that it cares about our community and it wants to do the right thing. Was that empty rhetoric? Was it outright lies? I guess we’ll wait to see on that.’’
Algoma Township Supervisor Kevin Green said new water lines are the only long-term solution.
“To say we’re disappointed is truly an understatement,'' Green said. “The need is urgent. And for Wolverine to walk away now and unnecessarily delay this project is truly beyond comprehension.’’
Wolverine issued a statement on Tuesday saying it has not "stepped away from the table.''
"From the beginning, we have said that multiple parties contributed to the water quality issues in our community, and any solution must include all relevant parties,’’ the company said in a statement.
"We made this position clear in a Feb. 23, 2018 letter to the Township saying: 'we wholeheartedly agree with the Township that many parties contributed to the water quality issues facing our community, and believe that any long-term solution must involve all those parties.'”
To read the full statement, visit Wolverine's blog.
Van Essen said Wolverine is trying to pressure 3M into contributing to the new municipal water system that would service about 300 homes.
“3M was not part of that lawsuit because 3M had nothing to do with Wolverine’s waste disposal practices,’’ Van Essen said.
Nearly $500,000 has already been spent on preliminary engineering and design costs associated with extending municipal water lines.
A federal lawsuit filed against Wolverine by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as Algoma and Plainfield townships had been put on hold while the parties negotiated an accord.
Van Essen said that lawsuit is back in play.
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