Posted by The Grand Rapids Press April 09, 2009 23:05PM
FENNVILLE — Environmental crusader Erin Brockovich, who helped California residents earn a $333 million damage settlement from an energy company, is slated to visit Fennville this month to discuss water contamination allegedly coming from the Birds Eye food processing plant.
Brockovich, who inspired the 2000 namesake movie starring Julia Roberts, will hold a community meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. April 21 in the cafeteria of Fennville Elementary.
Birds Eye, the town’s major employer, is accused of spraying wastewater from its fruit-processing operation that has led to high levels of arsenic, iron and manganese in the wells of about 50 nearby homeowners.
The health risk is uncertain but the concentrations exceed state standards for drinking water, the Department of Environmental Quality has said.
The state says the discharge strips soil of oxygen, freeing the metal oxides and sending them into the water. Birds Eye has provided bottled water to affected residents.
Brockovich helped expose that Pacific Gas and Electric was poisoning Hinkley, Calif., water wells with toxic metal Chromium 6, a cancer-causing compound.
© 2009 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
environmental Risk Managers, Inc. (eRMI) points out this is a huge exposure facing a variety of your client’s that deal with, manage or dispose of waste water. Land application is very common for human septage, livestock waste, agricultural produce, manufacturing…. Most waste water treatment processes do not break down herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals…. The number one user of antibiotics and steroids is the pork, poultry and beef industry.
As a business owner / investor I would not like Erin Brockovich showing up to campaign against me. What a PR nightmare.
Can your client’s self insure this exposure or will they look to your E&O coverage when they have a claim?