In order to help the residents fight the Environmental Protection Agency and two paper chemical companies, an anonymous donor has pledged money to fund a class-action lawsuit.
A landfill located north of Cork Street between Burdick and Portage Roads in the heart of Kalamazoo is a property owned by a paper company and used years ago to dump toxic PCBs. Now, EPA and two paper companies are planning to dump another 4,400 pounds of toxic chemical at the site, forcing neighboring residents to be alarmed.
Since the city has expressed that it is powerless to stop the plan, an anonymous donor offers to give money to the city to help residents file a class-action lawsuit. However, City Commissioner Don Cooney said that the suit should be filed under the state’s nuisance law, making a claim that the trucks and toxic chemicals are so close to the neighborhoods that it would be a nuisance.
“The noise, the dirt and the permanent presence of this material on that site would do significant harm to their life and the value of their property," Cooney said.
EPA is firm that the site is safe. But residents are concerned about a main water supply near the site. A resident named Katherine Martin, who has a near-perfect view of the site from her backyard said that everyone in the area should be concerned. According to Martin, if the water gets polluted, it can reach out far beyond the neighborhood boundaries.
The city is conducting talks with environmental groups in Michigan and across the country. They also hope to have an attorney hired by the end of the week.