Onaway files suit against Glawe in regard to ferric spill

Representatives from the City of Onaway met last Monday, January 10, with representatives from Wilcox Professional Services and its insurance carrier. Glawe, Inc. of Alpena also was invited to that meeting, but did not attend.

The meeting was about the release of approximately 9,000 gallons of ferric chloride at the Onaway Wastewater Treatment Plant, which occurred between 2006 and 2010 and was discovered by city workers in October.

Ferric chloride is an acid used by the city to keep phosphorous in check within its lagoons. City workers discovered in October an that underground line, meant to carry ferric from the plant building to the lagoons, was cut.

The city believes the line was cut between 2003 and 2005, during the construction of the plant. Wilcox was employed by the city to design the plant and provide construction inspection. Glawe was the contractor that built the plant.

Following last Monday?s meeting, Wilcox Professional Services agreed to sign a tolling agreement, extending the statute of limitations during which the city could file suit. The tolling agreement provides additional time for Wilcox Professional Services and the city to work together toward a solution to the problem.

The city commission m

et last Thursday, January 13. At that meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to file suit against Glawe if it did not sign a tolling agreement by the end of the day. The city did not receive an executed tolling agreement from Glawe by day?s end Thursday, and thus filed suit against Glawe in Presque Isle County Circuit Court on Friday afternoon.

The city has hired an environmental consultant and is working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment on a site clean-up response plan. It appears that step one will be the removal of soils and ground water in the immediate spill area.

Additional testing likely will be required to determine the extent to which the ferric has traveled from the immediate area of the spill. That testing likely will begin in the spring.