PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A federal judge has set a new deadline for Wolverine Worldwide and local governments to come up with a solution for water contamination on House Street in Rockford.
Judge Janet Neff ruled Wednesday that there is ‘paramount public interest’ in finding a solution for the people in Plainfield and Algoma Townships whose wells were contaminated with PFAS chemicals from the Wolverine Worldwide and 3M companies. She ordered that a consensus must be reached by July 8.
The companies, along with attorneys from both townships and the state of Michigan, must come up with a plan.
The order comes just after a proposed ordinance in the townships would require companies that contaminate well water to provide those homes with water and filters and conduct their own testing.
Wolverine Worldwide released the following statement on the ruling:
“Wolverine Worldwide has received Judge Neff’s recent Order, which asks the parties to propose by July 8 a process and timeframe the Court can follow to determine appropriate remedies in the House Street area. The Order is consistent with what Wolverine has said from the start – that we intend to be a part of developing water quality solutions for our community, and that all parties must be involved in discussing and developing these solutions. Our actions to-date have backed up these words, as we’ve taken proactive steps to ensure all affected residents have access to safe drinking water. We will continue working hard every day on behalf of our friends, family, and neighbors in the community, and will submit our proposed process to Judge Neff on July 8.”
