The newly formed Leelanau Citizens for Sewage Safety group is hosting the free event. Leelanau Citizens for Sewage Safety is a group of concerned residents from Centerville Township who are concerned with the spreading of septage on local farmland.  Although the practice has been permitted for decades through Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in partnership with the Environmental Services of the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, information will be shared about how waste from our septic systems contain toxins such as PFAS, microplastics and pharmaceuticals. These toxins persist in the soil, are absorbed by agricultural crops fed to livestock, and could eventually end up in groundwater and contaminate both nearby wells, local streams, and even the large lakes.  There are areas of the country where whole farms have been contaminated with toxins from the application of sewage sludge and biosolids that can never be farmed again. Private wells in Wexford County are not usable because of past practices that have resulted in dangerous levels of PFAS.

Group members will present on why this group formed, why this concerns all rural residents of Leelanau County, what we can do as citizens, and what local and state lawmakers can do to prevent contamination and help keep our land, water and people safe.