ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — People living near Earhart Road in Ann Arbor Township say they've noticed an increase in large trucks going up and down the road as they head to Mid Michigan Minerals, a gravel mining operation.
While the increased noise has been a nuisance, what's particularly alarming is that some of their wells have gone dry. Others have been able to lower their pumps to still get water.
"I went to the bathroom to flush the toilet and there was no water," said Howard Bockbrader, who had to have his pump lowered in January when it went dry.
A well drilling company told Bockbrader that his pump was still good but that there was no water at the same level it had been at for decades.
But then in April, the Bockbrader's well went dry again and they had to have a new one drilled. And they're not alone.
About 10 homeowners have had to drill new wells in the area and others have had to lower their pumps.
"Increase in water usage has affected our wells and is depleting the aquifer," according to concerned citizens who have started a website, Help Save Our Wells, in hopes of educating other residents into taking action as Mid Michigan Materials seeks a new permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to extract nearly double the amount of water they currently remove for their operations.
John Sellek, spokesperson for Mid Michigan Materials, said the company is so far reimbursing nine homeowners for the cost of the new wells and paying for a hydro-geological study of the area.
"They've used this process many times to reach the sand and gravel that's at the bottom of their pits. Water fills in and they just need to move that water out," Sellek said. "They've done this many, many times and never once run into a problem like this. But they now know that they have run into this problem and they're taking every opportunity to solve issues in the short term."
At 7:30 p.m. Monday, township officials will be joined by residents and company officials to discuss concerns and plans to resolve the problem and determine the extent of it.
The meeting will be held at Washtenaw Community College at 4800 E. Huron River Drive in the Towsley Auditorium located in the Morris Lawrence Building.
