The Department of Environmental Quality announced today that over 3.7 million scrap tires were removed from two Osceola County sites through funding from the DEQ's Scrap Tire Cleanup Grant Program, resulting in the complete cleanup of both sites. DEQ staff worked closely with M 66 Auto and Osceola County officials to remove the potential threat to public health and the environment posed by the large scrap tire piles located at M 66 Auto and adjacent property formerly owned by Schumacher Salvage.

Runoff from scrap tire fires can contaminate groundwater and surface water, and scrap tire sites are an ideal habitat for the breeding of mosquitoes carrying diseases, such as West Nile Virus.

"I appreciate the cooperation of M 66 Auto and Osceola County officials in ensuring these environmental hazards were removed," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "This type of cooperation keeps our families safe and our natural resources protected."

The former Schumacher Salvage property was the scene of a massive fire involving millions of tires in April 1997 and was the subject of many enforcement actions over the past years. Osceola County acquired title to a portion of the Schumacher Salvage property through tax reversion in 2007 and immediately took responsibility for the scrap tire cleanup utilizing funds available through the DEQ's Scrap Tire Cleanup Grant Program.

Entech, Inc., a scrap tire processor located in White Pigeon, and Park of the Lakes, a scrap tire processor located in Cadillac, removed the scrap tire piles from the M-66 Auto and former Schumacher Salvage properties during 2007 and 2008.

The DEQ's Scrap Tire Program is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the proper transport and disposal of all scrap tires generated in the state. Program staff regularly inspects scrap tire collection sites, processors, end-users, haulers, and generators, which include tire dealers and auto scrap yards. The Scrap Tire Cleanup Grant Program has removed approximately 27.7 million passenger tire equivalents from over 1,000 scrap tire sites around the state.

For additional information about the DEQ's Scrap Tire Program, please visit http://www.michigan.gov/deq (click on "Waste" and then "Scrap Tires"). For more information about these Osceola County cleanup sites, please contact Phil Roycraft, Cadillac District Supervisor, Waste and Hazardous Materials Division, DEQ, at 231 876 4465.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised December 3, 2008 by Pat Watson