Milford Drinking Water Endangered by Underground Contamination
A treatment system is swiftly being constructed in the Village of Milford to counteract underground contamination seeping into the drinking water system from a former automotive supplier (Kelsey-Hayes) plant. The toxic plume is threatening the community of roughly 6,500 people by exposing them to vinyl chloride. According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, an unsafe level of the dangerous chemical was detected in a monitoring well in May, located only 150 feet from Milford’s drinking water intake system. Though the toxin has not officially been detected in the public water supply, it “Represents an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health, safety, welfare, or the environment,” according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Milford Village Manager Christian Wuerth said, “It’s not a good thing. When you get something like this and it hits close, it’s obviously a concern. I live here, my