Nessel sues Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority for contamination of drinking water - 9 & 10 News
Nessel sues Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority for contamination of drinking water - 9&10 News
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday filed a lawsuit in the Kent County 17th Judicial Circuit Court against the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority following repeated warnings and demands for action from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) related to the Airport’s PFAS contamination.
Nessel is suing the airport authority for, among other issues, PFAS releases into the below-ground water supply, and seeks injunctive and declaratory relief, past and future remediation and monitoring costs, and damages for the loss and destruction of natural resources, her office said.
The attorney general contends in her lawsuit the airport authority is liable for the airport’s previous and known releases of PFAS-containing firefighting material known as aqueous film-forming foams, or AFFFs, pursuant to Part 201 (Environmental Remediation) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), as well as for violations of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. These PFAS releases have impacted nearby properties and the “forever chemicals” have been discovered in residential drinking water wells in neighboring Cascade Charter Township, as well as in streams and other groundwater downgradient of the airport. The full breadth of the PFAS emanation from the airport remains unknown.
“The airport authority has had ample opportunity, over several years now, to step up and do the right thing,” Nessel said. “But as they’ve shown a refusal to accept responsibility for their actions or meaningfully attempt to clean up the messes they have made, we must compel them to act responsibly. Under Michigan law, if you caused the contamination, you must remediate it. We will continue to pursue our claims against the authority until a satisfactory result is reached that protects the public and the environment.”
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