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CITY OF FENNVILLE | DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY | CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | FENNVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS | GOOSE FESTIVAL DISCOVERY SCHOOL | FENNVILLE NEWS | LIBRARY | CHILDREN'S MUSEUM | COMMUNITY CALENDAR © 2009 Fennville.com |
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April 20, 2009
To our Employees and Neighbors,
Questions about groundwater conditions in the Fennville and Allegan County area
have raised concerns among residents, particularly those with private drinking water
wells. Birds Eye Foods shares these concerns both as a long-standing member of the
community and as a significant contributor to the Fennville economy whose operations
depend upon available sources of water. For a number of years, we have been
working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to assess
groundwater conditions around our facility and in the Fennville area. We currently
have pending before the MDEQ a proposed timetable for construction of a more than
$3 million plan to enhance our own water treatment system and as soon as we receive
the required MDEQ approvals, construction will begin.
In addition to updating you on the status of our efforts with the MDEQ, we wanted to
take this opportunity to tell you more about Birds Eye Foods and our Fennville
operations so that you will have the facts concerning this situation.
Who we are
Our Fennville facility is one of Birds Eye Foods’ eight facilities located across the U. S.
Birds Eye is a privately-held U.S. company whose core business is in branded frozen
vegetables and meals, pie fillings and toppings, chili and chili ingredients, salad
dressings and snack products. We employ 1,700 full-time employees.
Our Fennville, MI Facility
At our facility in Fennville, we produce canned fruit fillings and glazes, canned apple
juice, and baby corn in glass jars. We employ approximately 140 Fennville area
residents full-time and another 140 Fennville area residents on a seasonal basis
during the summer and fall fruit production months. In total, we pay more than $5
million in wages and benefits each year to our employees who live in the Fennville
community.
Our Fennville facility purchases over 35 million pounds of fresh cherries, apples and
blueberries annually from local Michigan farmers, generating over $14 million in
revenue for local farms. In addition, we spend approximately $3 million annually in the
Fennville community on parts, supplies, services and utilities. Over $500,000 in state
and local tax revenues are paid by our Fennville facility.
Our waste water treatment
Our operations use water from the City of Fennville public water supply, principally to
wash fruit. Using the system most commonly used by vegetable and fruit processing
facilities across Michigan and as permitted by MDEQ, wastewater left over from the
washing process and facility operations is regularly tested and then discharged by
spray irrigating on four nearby farm fields owned by Birds Eye. This wastewater
contains varying amounts of dissolved sugar, nutrients and salts. Results of our
monitoring of the groundwater below and around the irrigation sites are regularly
reported to MDEQ.
Our work with MDEQ
In the Fennville and Allegan County area, bedrock, sand and gravel contain elements
such as iron and manganese which find their way into the groundwater because of
natural subsurface conditions and man-made activities. After elevated levels of these
elements were discovered in groundwater monitoring wells, Birds Eye began working
very closely with the MDEQ to investigate the water quality issues. We have installed
more than 35 wells and collected more than 500 samples. These samples confirm that
iron and manganese are present in wells throughout Fennville, including wells that are
not near the Birds Eye facilities. While we continue to investigate, we recognize that
there are water quality issues that require a community wide response. Coordinating
with MDEQ, Birds Eye has also tested area wells for arsenic. Samples taken from the
wells in the irrigation fields used by Birds Eye have contained either no arsenic, or
arsenic below applicable MDEQ standards. Samples from a small percentage of area
wells tested, including wells that are not adjacent to our spray fields, have found
arsenic at levels higher than applicable standards, and Birds Eye continues to work
with MDEQ to investigate this issue.
Our commitment to continuous improvement at Fennville
While this process moves forward, we have continued to test residents’ wells and
provide bottled water to certain residents as requested by MDEQ. We have also
continued to improve our wastewater management practices and have changed our
production volumes, both of which have reduced the amount of wastewater and levels
of sugar, nutrients and salts in that water. These levels will be further reduced when
enhancements to our water treatment system are completed.
We will continue working with our neighbors, government officials and community
leaders on the groundwater problem. As members of the Fennville community, our
goal is toremain a responsible employer and neighbor, a significant contributor to the
area’s economy and a proud supporter of community activities that enhance the
quality of life for all of its residents.
We will share any new information on this situation with our employees and neighbors
as soon as it is available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free
to contact Kim Baiers, facility manager, at (269) 561-8211. If Kim can't answer your
questions, he will make every effort to track down the information you want or connect
you with someone who can.
To our Employees and Neighbors,
Questions about groundwater conditions in the Fennville and Allegan County area
have raised concerns among residents, particularly those with private drinking water
wells. Birds Eye Foods shares these concerns both as a long-standing member of the
community and as a significant contributor to the Fennville economy whose operations
depend upon available sources of water. For a number of years, we have been
working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to assess
groundwater conditions around our facility and in the Fennville area. We currently
have pending before the MDEQ a proposed timetable for construction of a more than
$3 million plan to enhance our own water treatment system and as soon as we receive
the required MDEQ approvals, construction will begin.
In addition to updating you on the status of our efforts with the MDEQ, we wanted to
take this opportunity to tell you more about Birds Eye Foods and our Fennville
operations so that you will have the facts concerning this situation.
Who we are
Our Fennville facility is one of Birds Eye Foods’ eight facilities located across the U. S.
Birds Eye is a privately-held U.S. company whose core business is in branded frozen
vegetables and meals, pie fillings and toppings, chili and chili ingredients, salad
dressings and snack products. We employ 1,700 full-time employees.
Our Fennville, MI Facility
At our facility in Fennville, we produce canned fruit fillings and glazes, canned apple
juice, and baby corn in glass jars. We employ approximately 140 Fennville area
residents full-time and another 140 Fennville area residents on a seasonal basis
during the summer and fall fruit production months. In total, we pay more than $5
million in wages and benefits each year to our employees who live in the Fennville
community.
Our Fennville facility purchases over 35 million pounds of fresh cherries, apples and
blueberries annually from local Michigan farmers, generating over $14 million in
revenue for local farms. In addition, we spend approximately $3 million annually in the
Fennville community on parts, supplies, services and utilities. Over $500,000 in state
and local tax revenues are paid by our Fennville facility.
Our waste water treatment
Our operations use water from the City of Fennville public water supply, principally to
wash fruit. Using the system most commonly used by vegetable and fruit processing
facilities across Michigan and as permitted by MDEQ, wastewater left over from the
washing process and facility operations is regularly tested and then discharged by
spray irrigating on four nearby farm fields owned by Birds Eye. This wastewater
contains varying amounts of dissolved sugar, nutrients and salts. Results of our
monitoring of the groundwater below and around the irrigation sites are regularly
reported to MDEQ.
Our work with MDEQ
In the Fennville and Allegan County area, bedrock, sand and gravel contain elements
such as iron and manganese which find their way into the groundwater because of
natural subsurface conditions and man-made activities. After elevated levels of these
elements were discovered in groundwater monitoring wells, Birds Eye began working
very closely with the MDEQ to investigate the water quality issues. We have installed
more than 35 wells and collected more than 500 samples. These samples confirm that
iron and manganese are present in wells throughout Fennville, including wells that are
not near the Birds Eye facilities. While we continue to investigate, we recognize that
there are water quality issues that require a community wide response. Coordinating
with MDEQ, Birds Eye has also tested area wells for arsenic. Samples taken from the
wells in the irrigation fields used by Birds Eye have contained either no arsenic, or
arsenic below applicable MDEQ standards. Samples from a small percentage of area
wells tested, including wells that are not adjacent to our spray fields, have found
arsenic at levels higher than applicable standards, and Birds Eye continues to work
with MDEQ to investigate this issue.
Our commitment to continuous improvement at Fennville
While this process moves forward, we have continued to test residents’ wells and
provide bottled water to certain residents as requested by MDEQ. We have also
continued to improve our wastewater management practices and have changed our
production volumes, both of which have reduced the amount of wastewater and levels
of sugar, nutrients and salts in that water. These levels will be further reduced when
enhancements to our water treatment system are completed.
We will continue working with our neighbors, government officials and community
leaders on the groundwater problem. As members of the Fennville community, our
goal is toremain a responsible employer and neighbor, a significant contributor to the
area’s economy and a proud supporter of community activities that enhance the
quality of life for all of its residents.
We will share any new information on this situation with our employees and neighbors
as soon as it is available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free
to contact Kim Baiers, facility manager, at (269) 561-8211. If Kim can't answer your
questions, he will make every effort to track down the information you want or connect
you with someone who can.
BIRDS EYE STATEMENT
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