The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is suing the Gladwin County Drain Commissioner for $11 billion.
Court filings allege Drain Commissioner Robert Evans has repeatedly failed to get the correct work permits or to prevent soil erosion.
The MDEQ declined to comment on the case. Robert Evans did not respond to our request for comment.
Pat Lindeman is the Drain Commissioner for Ingham County. He said the size of the suit is likely to get Evans’ attention.
“If it’s true that they’re going after him for 11 billion bucks there’s no way that’s going to happen. I don’t know anybody in the state who has 11 billion.’
Lindeman says he feels the state should help Commissioners struggling to fulfill their duties, rather than suing them for exorbitant amounts.
“I work for the public, the public is my boss. And the public is the DEQ’s boss too. There has to be something in the process that allows us to accomplish the better good without going after each other.”
But, Lindeman acknowledges that soil erosion is an important issue.
“ It not only pollutes just soil but it carries with it chemicals from farm fields, salt and chlorine and other chemicals that come off from roads, and all of those moving particles of soil transport that chemistry and pollution back to the river.”
The lawsuit alleges Evans has repeatedly violated procedures over the past six years and has never responded to the state regarding the violations.