In Romulus: Firm seeks permit to pump waste

Environmental Disposal Systems of Birmingham had tried to avoid the lengthy state permit process by operating the injection well under a loophole in hazardous materials laws.

The permit process, which takes more than a year, includes several public hearings.

There has been great public opposition to injection wells in Romulus, although city officials welcomed the company in 1990.

As the public outcry escalated, a newly elected council got a temporary injunction against Environmental Disposal Systems in 1993, even though the company had completed its first well at I-275 and Northline Road. The company has since acquired land at a second site near I-94 and Middle Belt Road, close to Taylor. So far, the company has spent about $6 million on the project, although construction has not started on the second well.

Environmental Disposal Systems officials said they aren't expecting much public support during the permit process, but they believe the decision ultimately will be made on science, not popularity.

"This isn't going to come down to emotional outcries. This is going to come down to science and technology," said Austin Marshall, vice president of EDS.

Officials at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which will ultimately decide whether the EDS wells are safe, agree.

"The very fact that people don't want these facilities is not, under the law, sufficient cause to deny an application," said Steve Buda, chief of the Hazardous Waste Permits Unit of the DEQ.

Many residents of Romulus and Taylor have made it clear they don't want the wells, no matter how safe the company, or the state, says they are.

The complaints might prompt the state to limit the operation to certain hours and certain streets if the permit is granted, Buda said.

One outgrowth of the public opposition could be the loss of an annual royalty of $500,000 per well the company had promised as part of the original agreement.

Marshall said that offer now depends on whether the city will allow EDS to store non-hazardous waste until the permit is granted.