This dumping would have happened if not for fierce litigation by the Anglers of the Au Sable, supported by donations from its members and supporters. I'm sad to say I was not among the contributors, but my bug dope-stained boonie hat is off to those who stepped up.
A comment that nicely summed up the situation and what it means appeared this afternoon on a fly-fishing bulletin board:
What's wrong with these people?
Merit Energy/Shell pollutes the groundwater and decides to dispose of the contaminated water into a creek flowing into the Au Sable river. The Michigan DEQ has jurisdiction and a mandate to protect the environment in Michigan. They tell Merit no problem - the hell with the streams and the citizens who live by them. So, to protect their rights, the taxpayers have to pony up their hard-earned dollars to pay lawyers to sue the DEQ to get them to do their job. And the DEQ is funded with taxpayer dollars to begin with. And they wonder why people are cynical about government bureaucrats? [emphasis mine.]
It is a bizarre pass we've come to, though maybe not a surprising one. Though the DEQ does have a mandate to protect the environment, it was split off from the state DNR in the 90s in part to facilitate environmental permitting for industry. Existing practices of stewardship apparently were inefficient. I get a feeling that settling these matters through the courts is not streamlining things.
In other news from the Grayling area, rumors are afoot that the Fly Factory is in foreclosure. It would be sad to see that place close. Its rough-hewn atmosphere was in pleasant contrast to many fly shops that resemble fussily maintained boutiques. It was supposedly the oldest fly shop in the state, and when you went in there, you got a whiff (both literally and metaphorically) of the history that has unfolded along the river.
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