Request for Huge Expansion of Wayne County Hazardous Waste Site Draws Fire

A proposed tenfold expansion of hazardous waste facility near Hamtramck is causing concerns among nearby residents and politicians.

A permit to expand the U.S. Ecology facility, located on Georgia Street near Detroit’s border with Hamtramck, an area zoned for heavy industrial uses, has been filed with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, The Detroit News reports.

The operators of the site, which has been used to treat and store hazardous materials and other waste materials for more than 20 years, want to increase capacity from the current equivalent of 64,000 gallons to 650,000 gallons. Daily treatment allowances would also be increased 27 percent under the request.

U.S. Ecology spokesman Dave Crumrine said that as automotive, manufacturing and industrial companies grow in Michigan, the expansion is necessary to keep pace.

“...Safe and responsible treatment facilities like this one are vital to ensuring the waste is handled in a safe and compliant manner,” he said, adding the company has been operating safely in Detroit for 40 years, he said, adding that “

State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson, D-Detroit, has called for an extension of the public commenting period on the permit application beyond Oct. 12.

“Detroit should not be the dumping ground and storage site for hazardous waste across the country,” Robinson said in a statement. “Residents should have their say on whether or not this expansion should be allowed.”

Between 60 percent to 70 percent of the waste, both solids and wastewater, treated at the plant comes from Michigan and is stored there until it is treated for disposal off-site. A “small amount” of radioactive material is accepted at the site, Crumrine said.

On its website, Dearborn-based American Human Rights Council joined Robinson and members of the community in “demanding clear answers on how much hazardous waste will be dumped and stored in Detroit neighborhoods and what quantity is coming from other states.”

The civil rights group said it is concerned the expansion could create a serious health hazard, and wants specific information about the effect the expansion might have on Detroit’s water system. The building is located near the Detroit-Hamtramck General Motors plant and a Detroit Water & Sewerage Department facility.

Richard Conforti, an environmental engineer for the DEQ, said that while concerns of increased traffic and risk may have some merit, others — such as the claim in protest literature that “residue will be released into Detroit’s water system” — are less likely.

“Nothing will be released into the water supply — Lake Huron or the Detroit River,” Conforti said.

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