COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, MI -- Public health, property values and impact on businesses are among the concerns Comstock Township residents are expressing in light of Enbridge Inc.'s dredging plan to clean up the Kalamazoo River after the massive 2010 oil spill.



The Comstock Township Board of Trustees heard from representatives from Enbridge and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Monday in an effort to get more information about the dredging project, which was ordered by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March.



Large crews arrived at Morrow Lake near the Kalamazoo River last month and began laying pipeline near the river, which will be used to carry submerged oil, contaminated sediment and water to a dredge pad during the dredging, according to Jason Manshum, spokesman for Enbridge. Dredging is planned to occur in portions of the Kalamazoo River, Morrow Lake Delta and Morrow Lake.



The sediment will then be de-watered, before Enbridge treats the water and hauls the sediment to a landfill.

But preliminary work for the project began without the knowledge of Comstock Township residents, business owners or the board of trustees, part of the reason for their frustration.

"When we found out about it, we were PO'd," said David Frazier, who lives near Morrow Lake.

"Why weren't we notified of this?" asked Kelly Blaisdell, who lives on Rosemont Street, a small road near where the project will be taking place. "Why is our little neighborhood taking the brunt of an Enbridge mistake?"

Despite the order from the EPA, Enbridge must wait for approval to dredge the sites from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The DEQ has already received permitting applications, but many Comstock residents and business owners are hoping the project is called off.

That includes Larry Bell, owner of Bell's Brewery Inc, who is worried that his facility will be negatively impacted by the nearby proposed work site.

"It's very important for us to have clean water and clean air around the facility," Bell said. "That water will flow right into my brewery. That air will blow right into my brewery. I'm here to oppose this project in no uncertain terms."

Bell said he is concerned that unclean air and water from the site will cause production of beer to shut down.

"I've faced a lot of challenges in my business career, but I've never thought I'd lose my business," he said. "This makes me worried I'll lose my business. People will not want to buy my beer if they think it might be contaminated."

Jennifer Newton, a Rosemont Street resident, said she is worried about the health of her three young girls.

"This site is parallel to my backyard," Newton said. "When you bring up those materials, what are the short-term health effects? What are the long-term health effects?"

Newton said she is also worried about the impact on her property.

"It makes me concerned about my property value dropping faster than the Dow Jones Market," she said.

The township board heard from more than a dozen residents and business owners during public comment, all of them opposing the project.

Nicole Zacharda, enforcement specialist with the DEQ, promised she would relay the residents' concerns to DEQ officials. Manshum also said he would discuss the complaints with Enbridge officials.

The EPA has given Enbridge a deadline of Dec. 31 to finish the dredging project, so Manshum said the project needs to go "efficiently and safely."

"We want to go home as well," Manshum said in response to a citizen who suggested Enbridge leave Comstock. "But we want to leave you with a river that is as good or better than it was."

Aaron Mueller is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact him at amuelle1@mlive.com or 269-568-3867. Follow him on Twitter.