NEWS

EL city manager says mistakes made in mercury spill

Dawn Parker
Lansing State Journal
George Lahanas

EAST LANSING – In his first in-depth comments since the city was sued by a group of waste water treatment plant employees, East Lansing city manager George Lahanas acknowledged mistakes have been made.

Saying the city "still believes it can do better," Lahanas said in a statement read during Tuesday's city council meeting that the city plans to hire outside experts to conduct a full review of plant safety.

It was not clear Wednesday evening what the review would cost the city. Lahanas could not not be immediately reached for comment.

Eight current and one former employee of the city's wastewater treatment plant sued the city in January, saying they were repeatedly exposed to mercury and asbestos and the city delayed notification of that exposure.

The employees, members of UAW Local 2256, say the results of a 2007 asbestos inspection of the plant at 1700 Trowbridge Road were never shared with them or any of their co-workers. That inspection identified "numerous areas" of asbestos, according to the lawsuit.

The statement by Lahanas, who has been city manager since February 2012, addressed the mercury spill at the plant at 1700 Trowbridge Road.

Lahanas told the council the spill took place in October 2013, and that city officials were not informed of the incident until March 2014.

An internal investigation into the spill, Lahanas said, ultimately resulted in one supervisory employee leaving the city's employment. Two others, former Department of Public Works director Todd Sneathen and former plant superintendent Catherine Garnham, left for other jobs following that investigation, according to Lahanas.

Lahanas said the city determined its employees were not injured and there was "no detectable damage" to the environment. Employees tested did not appear to have been affected, and testing the flow from the plant to the Red Cedar River revealed no increased levels of mercury.

In regard to asbestos at the plant, frequently used to insulate pipes, Lahanas said the law mandates an employer to have a survey identifying the location of asbestos, proper signage in asbestos locations throughout the facility and training for employees who work where asbestos could be disturbed.

However, "It appears that the survey may not have been properly shared with staff and the signage did not meet all MIOSHA expectations," Lahanas said.

Lahanas said the city if focused on moving forward.

"In running a WWTP, such as in the City of East Lansing, accidents of this nature do and will occur," Lahanas read. "Unfortunately, some mistakes were made, but we are confident that we have learned from the mistakes and have made all necessary corrections."