Suits imperil river shipping

In the latest twist to clear the Saginaw River for shipping traffic, a pair of environmental groups filed suit in Ingham County to block Saginaw County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from building a dredging spoils disposal site.

The Lone Tree Council and the National Wildlife Federation want a judge to force the state Department of Environmental Quality to impose tougher standards on water discharges from the spoils site, which sits west of the river on the Saginaw-Bay County line.

Crews were constructing the 220-acre spoils disposal facility along Melbourne until mating bald eagles prompted federal officials to temporarily halt the work.

An administrative law judge dismissed an earlier lawsuit against the state by the environmental groups to enforce the tougher standards.

Department of Environmental Quality officials say the site is safe and that the Army Corps of Engineers must meet the same strict requirements in effect under a federal permit when draining water from the disposal facility into the river. The Saginaw County-owned spoils dump has more environmental safeguards than other spoils dumps, DEQ Deputy Director Stanley Pruss said.

And it's worth noting that the water and silt going into the disposal facility to clear the river for shipping traffic came from the river. The dioxins, mercury and other toxins, at some level, are in the river now.

Saginaw County Public Works Director James Koski argues that the state and county have done everything by the book. Earlier, he said that he was more concerned about the mounting legal bills -- he pegged it at $100,000 -- connected to fending off the challenges. But those losses are a drop in the bucket compared to what the region's economy will lose if the Upper Saginaw River isn't dredged and shipping traffic grinds to a halt.

Crews stopped construction of the slurry pit until May to give the bald eagles time to, well, mate in peace, so there's time for the court to review the DEQ's decision.

Yet the court should not dawdle; a region's economic health is in the balance. It's time to settle the legal wrangling -- one judge has already ruled -- and pull the silt and sludge from the river bottom. Or will the environmental groups keep up the fight until they find a friendly court?