Environmental Pollutants
Paw Paw
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PAW PAW CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER
Coca-Cola plant contamination threatens town water supply and property values
On top of an already beleaguered housing market, the tax assessor in Paw Paw, Mich., confirmed that local home real estate values will likely decline 10 percent due to environmental contamination of the village’s ground water supply. If your property has been affected, seek compensation through the personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, long recognized for obtaining record-breaking verdicts and settlements. The firm’s Paw Paw environmental lawyers are standing by to provide free consultations for residents via the communication form on this page.
June 30, 2009 – Town authorities in Paw Paw, Michigan, have told residents to stop drinking local water and switch to bottled water after dangerous signs of groundwater contamination have been detected.
The Paw Paw Township Assessor notified affected residents that their homes’ “state equalized values” have been reduced by 10 percent due to groundwater contamination from a nearby Coca-Cola bottling plant.
In addition to tainted town water, the assessor acknowledged in letters to affected residents that the pollution will have a negative effect on local home values because, under law, homeowners must disclose well water contamination to potential buyers.
Paw Paw water contamination
Paw Paw, a village with a population of approximately 3,400 residents (2000 census), is located in the southwestern part of Michigan on Interstate 94, approximately 20 miles west of Kalamazoo. Those home owners who have already been affected live near the source of the contamination – Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid plant on Red Arrow Highway. At least two dozen properties are known to be affected.
For 23 years, the Coke plant sprayed waste water into the soil. Today, nearby groundwater is showing signs of heavy metal contamination, with detectable levels of carcinogenic chemicals that include arsenic, lead, iron and manganese.
When Coca-Cola violated its waste-discharge permit by over saturating its spray fields in 2000, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality fined the beverage company $50,000. The following year, Coca-Cola built a $7 million wastewater treatment plant to correct the problem, but years later that remedy no longer appears to be viable.
Paw Paw residents summon environmentalist Erin Brockovich
Residents affected by water contamination and the likelihood of declining property values contacted environmental activist Erin Brockovich and asked her to help. Brockovich and her chief environmental investigator, Robert Bowcock, organized a meeting yesterday at Paw Paw High School to meet concerned residents.
Bowcock told residents attending the meeting that in addition to the heavy metals being detected, EDTA, a common food additive that is also used at the Coca-Cola plant as a cleaning agent, has infiltrated one of Paw Paw’s village wells. Bowcock said this is a concern: “If EDTA is in the water, you can’t get an accurate testing for metal levels. Concentrations may be greater than tests indicate because the EDTA is masking the levels.”
Brockovich endorses Weitz & Luxenberg law firm
Working in cooperation with the New York City environmental law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, Brockovich asked individuals interested in seeking legal action and a free legal consultation to fill out a questionnaire, like the questionnaire on this page.
When a certain number of residents decide to be represented by the firm, the cases will be consolidated and filed as a mass tort lawsuit, and everyone’s interests will be represented. Weitz & Luxenberg works on a contingency basis, so there is absolutely no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or settlement in your favor.
Erin Brockovich is well-known for her investigation work in a successful lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in California that resulted in a $333 million settlement. Her work in this case inspired a popular 2000 movie bearing her name and starring Julia Roberts.
If you are a resident of Paw Paw, Mich., and the town’s current groundwater contamination problem has impacted your family’s life, the environmental lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg will provide a free case review via the communication form on this page.
see also:
Contamination
Paw Paw, Mich. soil contamination threatens water and property valuesSoil contamination affecting water and property values in Paw Paw, MI
Background
Environmentalist Erin Brockovich organizes Paw Paw, Mich. town meetingPaw Paw, MI, residents summon Weitz & Luxenberg's Brockovich for help
