E-M:/ More on Mobil Home Parks

["Alex J. Sagady & Associates" <ajs@sagady.com>]

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Enviro-Mich message from "Alex J. Sagady & Associates" <ajs@sagady.com>
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Forwarded bounced message......

From: "andrea kline" <klineoff@mich.com>
To: "Jennie Breuninger" <breuninger@fbwebmaster.com>,
"Laura Rubin" <lrubin@hrwc.org>
Cc: <enviro-mich@great-lakes.net>


Subject: Re: SG-W:/ Maunfactured Housing
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 06:48:57 -0400


We are currently fighting a 750-unit mobile home park development in 
Stockbridge Township. The township board, feeling powerless to do anything 
to protect their constituents, has signed a consent agreement that 
basically strips them of any ability to contest the development (and pays 
the developers legal fees to boot) . The developer is in the process of 
trying to get permits for their sewage treatment plant and water supply 
system from the MDEQ. Once these permits are in hand, there is nothing 
stopping the development of a project that will increase the population of 
the township by over 60%, increase the traffic on Shepper Road from 540 to 
6,000 vehicles per day, etc., all in exchange for a development  in which 
the occupants will be paying $36 per year in taxes. In other words, there 
will be significant adverse impacts on all residents of the Township and 
Stockbridge school district.

The MDEQ originally issued a draft NPDES permit allowing discharge of 0.5 
mg/l of phosphorus to Portage Creek, the largest tributary of the Huron 
River. After the public raised concerns about the impacts of the discharge 
on water quality, the MDEQ actually did some water sampling (the 
original  draft permit conditions were not based on any empirical water 
quality data)  and found that conditions in the creek and downstream lakes 
were highly eutrophic. Based on this information, they reduced the 
phosphorus limits in the draft permit to 0.036 mg/l, which we have been 
told in nearly impossible to achieve with existing technology. It is 
amazing how understanding existing conditions can influence these 
decisions, and it is amazing that it takes public pressure to force the 
agency charged with protecting the public interest to take the impacts of 
such a discharge into account when reviewing permit applications. But that 
is another topic.

Anyway, the current status is that both the MDEQ and developer have taken 
additional water samples and the MDEQ is mulling over the possiblity of 
revising the phosphorus limits to 0.1 mg/l. If a permit is issued, we have 
the option to contest the decision in court. We have standing due to the 
fact that we submitted comment during the public comment period. The Huron 
River Watershed Council has been providing technical support but we have 
not yet discussed what role they may be willing provide if a permit is 
issued and we decide to go to court. Does your organization provide legal 
support in cases like this? Do you know of any attorneys that you would 
recommend?

Are you involved in any efforts to change our currently screwed-up mobile 
home regulations? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Andrea Kline




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