The Watershed Center Sees Progress in Burnette Foods Lawsuit

This week’s Northern Express — sister publication of The Ticker — is the Our Greatest Lakes issue, featuring stories about our waterways and the people who protect them.

One of those protectors is The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, which has been in court for years with Elk Rapids fruit processor Burnette Foods, who they claim has has illegally polluted wetlands and tributaries that ultimately drain into Lake Michigan. After two years of motions and discovery, the U.S. District Court issued an Opinion and Order.

“The court determined that Burnette Foods was discharging pollutants into navigable waters from a point source without a permit in violation of the Clean Water Act, and the court found Burnette Foods violated the Michigan Environmental Protection Act through conduct that has or is likely to pollute, impair, or destroy water resources by violating its groundwater discharge permit,” says Watershed Center director Christine Crissman. Read more here.

Pick up a free copy of this week’s Northern Express, available to read online or at one of nearly 650 spots in 13 counties across northern Michigan.

Pictured: Foam gathering in Spencer Creek near Burnette Foods.