PORTLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — A sewage lagoon for Sunset Ridge mobile homes near Portland dumped 2.5 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Grand River between June 30 and July 2.
It wasn't a planned dump. A report to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality by Infrastructure Alternatives Inc, a third party that runs the lagoon for the mobile home park, described it as a "miscommunication/oversight between contractor and waste water operator."
"A newly constructed lagoon was brought online Friday afternoon," the report, which was provided to 24 Hour News 8 by the contractor, continues. "By all accounts, the discharge valves for this new structure were closed. The operator for the system stopped by at 12:00pm on Saturday (6/30/18) to check the facility and all was well with no discharge. However, the operator was notified the morning of 7/2/18 that the new lagoon was discharging into the river. Discharge valve was closed on new structure at 11:30am and discharge was stopped."