Brockovich expert answers H2O concerns

FENNVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - Residents in Fennville blame Birds Eye Foods for contaminating their well water with heavy metals.

24 Hour News 8 reported last year that high-profile environmental activist Erin Brockovich and her expert team started looking into the problem.

About 100 people met Thursday night at the Fennville District Library for an hour-and-a-half Q&A session with one of those experts -- Bob Bowcock.

"The goal tonight was to exchange information between the community, and to get some of the questions that have been frustrating them for a long time answered," he said.

Bowcock says the team officially started its investigation Thursday.

24 Hour News 8 reported last summer the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is investigating higher than acceptable levels of arsenic and manganese in some water wells in the area.

DEQ officials believe Birds Eye Foods is responsible. Birds Eye Foods doesn't discharge heavy metals directly but DEQ officials said the organic compounds it does discharge cause oxygen depletion in the groundwater, allowing the heavy metals to come into contact with the water.

We also profiled one family that has filed a federal lawsuit against Birds Eye Foods because their well was tainted with arsenic.

Other neighbors continue to raise questions.

"My biggest concern was to find out where the contaminated area was," said Tina Hammer who attended Thursday's meeting.

"One of the questions I asked was absorption through the skin, you know, when you shower or bathe," added fellow resident Sharlotte Paridee.

Bowcock says this background will help them move forward.

"I'm going to spend tomorrow on the phone with the DEQ representative and see if we can offer them any assistance, ask them some specific questions, see if we can broaden the scope of their work and see if we can get testing started."

Bowcock says Brockovich will be in Fennville sometime in March to get a personal look at the situation.

Brockovich was portrayed by acress Julia Roberts in the 2000 movie bearing her name. Roberts won an Oscar for the role, portraying Brockovich who successfully fought a gas and electric company that was polluting and making people sick.

On the Net:

Erin Brockovich's Web site

Birds Eye Foods

Erin Brockovich the movie