Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester announced today that grants totaling $2.5 million have been awarded for the complete cleanup of 27 scrap tire sites and partial cleanup of one scrap tire site in order to reduce the potential public health and environmental concerns associated with these scrap tires.  The funding announced today will protect the health of these communities, cleaning up more than 2.4 million passenger tire equivalents (PTEs), a measure used to account for different weights and sizes of tires that may be present at a cleanup site.

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.

The grantees will have until August 29, to complete contract requirements for having the tires removed and processed in accordance with a DEQ-approved tire removal plan.

The following is a list of the approved grantees receiving scrap tire cleanup contracts under the Program: 

If you have any questions, please contact the Scrap Tire Regulatory Program, Waste and Hazardous Materials Division, DEQ, P.O. Box 30241, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7741, at 517-241-2924; or contact Rhonda Oyer Zimmerman at 517-373-4750 or by e-mail at oyerr@michigan.gov.

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"