Dear editor:

At 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, a tanker driver hauling hazardous materials pulled into the Sawyer TA truckstop., advising he had a leak.
The Chikaming Township emergency services and the Berrien County Haz Mat team quickly mobilized and  safely evacuated  the area.  At 10 p.m., the tanker exploded but with no injuries.
Unfortunately, some chemicals drained into Deer Creek, which flows by my home. What happened in the next 72 hours was a remarkable display of intergovernmental cooperation. The Berrien County Health Department alerted our community of the danger before anyone entered the stream. Chikaming Township and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department cordoned off the area, protecting the public from the spill. The EPA Superfund team arrived and began oversight of cleanup. Michigan DEQ worked in tandem with Environmental Protection Agency to protect the water quality. The creek was dammed in three places to contain the spill and remove or neutralize contamination. Multidisciplinary crews monitored water quality all along the creek nonstop for 72 hours. Staff communicated progress to area residents.
By mid-afternoon Sunday the spill had been cleaned up. With all the anti-government rhetoric these days, I was glad to see my tax dollars at work so well at the township, county, state and federal levels. They were working toward a common goal for the common good. Now, if we could just get our politicians to understand that concept…

Cindy Ellis
Sawyer