WARREN, Mich. – Controversy continues in Warren Tuesday night as a $75 million incinerator expansion is the topic of debate for city leaders. It’s causing division between city administrators and city council members.
The current incinerator installed back in 1971 is still being put to good use. But now there seems to be a slight conflict about how they will break down forever chemicals moving forward.
Warren city administrators are going head to head with the city council over their plan to process sludge in wastewater. Warren Water Recovery Facility Superintendent Bryan Clor and other administrators would like to upgrade the current incinerator with new technology, adding the ability to get rid of dangerous chemicals like PFAS in a greener way.
“The material inside gets such a certain dryness that it naturally combusts,” Clor said. “When it naturally combusts, we go through, and we capture that heat back off it, which redoes the drying.”
City Council President Patrick Green says that’s not good for the environment.
“From the state’s environmental department, EGLE, it outlines several serious environmental concerns and health concerns related to the project,” said Green.
“We’re going to cut our natural gas usage by 95%,” Clor said. “We’re going to cut our carbon emissions by 90%.”
On the other hand, council members would like to see dried sludge in the ground to be used as fertilizer in a process called Land Application of Biosolids. But Clor believes that’s not a good idea.
“Land Application of Biosolids is a thing of the past,” Clor said. “It’s actually a danger.”
At a recent meeting, council members halted the project in a 5-2 vote. But the action was vetoed by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts. Council members also aren’t happy with the fact that the public wasn’t directly invited to discuss the matter.
“The public hearing notice was buried on page 251 of a 254-page project plan,” Green said.
“It was posted per the SRF guidelines the way it had to be posted,” Clor added.
