Hackel scolds Warren mayor for Facebook post about 'scandal'

Two of Macomb County's best-known politicians traded barbs Thursday after one of them took to social media Wednesday night about a "major environmental scandal" brewing in the county that "could be a mini version of what happened in Flint."

The cryptic Facebook post by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts included no other details, which prompted calls to the county from worried residents concerned about their drinking water. That was followed by a scolding of the mayor by County Executive Mark Hackel at a midday news conference on Thursday at which Hackel called Fouts' posts "appalling" and "inappropriate."

Hackel emphasized that drinking water in the county and the City of Warren was safe.

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By later Thursday Fouts had revealed that his concern involved what he called illegal dumping at the closed Freedom Hill landfill in Sterling Heights — but still Hackel and other county officials disputed and criticized Fouts' claims and defended the county's environmental safety.

Fouts claimed to the Free Press that Macomb County dumped 150,000 to 200,000 yards of excavating dirt at the Freedom Hill site without permits, burying 110 trees along with more than 40 methane gas monitoring wells that he said allow methane gas to escape.

Fouts said the trees were planted to absorb leachate created by the garbage. If the leachate isn't stopped, Fouts said, it would go into the Red Run Drain and potentially into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair, creating a potential "environmental disaster." He said to reshape berms will cost $500,000 to $1 million and he doesn't want "the City of Warren taxpayers to pay a penny."

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Fouts said he never said anything was wrong with the water.

But Deputy County Executive Mark Deldin said Fouts' "allegation about illegal dumping is 100% untrue and it's as erroneous as his Facebook post."

Deldin said that during the last couple of years, "we got permission to add more dirt on the landfill to fill in low-lying spots" from parking to create a more level surface for people to walk on. He said the county was granted a permit by Sterling Heights' soil erosion department. He said the county public works office also was aware of the permit for the dirt that was being filled in.

Deldin said a remediation plan has been in effect long before Hackel became executive and that engineer regularly tests the vents for methane gas. If there are any spikes in the vents, further remediation is done, Deldin said.

Deldin said representatives of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the landfill consultant conducted a visual inspection Thursday after a recent methane spike, but found nothing that couldn't be quickly remedied. Deldin said there were some broken or missing trees, but officials don't know why.

"We're going to take corrective action," he said, adding that Hackel told South Macomb Disposal Authority representatives "that no city in Macomb County, including Warren, will bear any cost for further remediation action." Deldin said he didn't know where Fouts got the figure of a cost of $500,000 to $1 million and that officials are awaiting a copy of the remediation report.

"Because there's a spike in a vent has nothing to do with contamination," Deldin said.

Hackel said he tried to contact Fouts early Thursday about his post, but Fouts hadn't returned his calls as of noon.

Fouts told the Free Press that Hackel left him a "threatening call" and that Hackel said Fouts would regret what he said. Fouts said he has not called Hackel, adding "I don't talk with people who are angry and out of control. I don't know if he made the decision."

He said Hackel "is trying to deflect it and make me the person responsible ... make me the scapegoat for actions at the county level."

"Don't shoot the messenger, just tell me who made this decision," Fouts said.

Hackel could not be immediately reached late Thursday for reaction to Fouts' comments.

Earlier in the day, Hackel said Fouts' post was "creating quite a hysteria and I think inappropriately so." He said the county health department called Warren's water department, the City of Detroit, the state and the Great Lakes Water Authority to find out if there was a problem, but all of them said the water was safe in Warren and the county.

Fouts made a follow-up post about 12:20 p.m. Thursday, assuring everyone in Warren that the water is safe and "there is no environmental problem in our city."

Flint's water became contaminated with lead more than two years ago. State officials acknowledged the public health crisis more than a year ago after denials and public complaints about the water's color, odor and taste.

Hackel said he believed Fouts created the hysteria for political reasons. He said  this is not the first time he's seen an alarmist type of reaction from Fouts only to find out the matter was a minor issue or a non-issue.

"I find it extremely unacceptable. I don't even have the words to express it," Hackel said. "People have real issues about what happened in Flint and rightly so."

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.