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Leachate forms when water mixes with kiln dust from cement production. It has a pH of 12 or more and that is equivalent to bleach.

The site chosen for the proposed well is Antrim County's Star Township, location of the headwaters of the Jordan River. One of the concerns is that a leak or other accident would result in the toxic leachate contaminating the waters of the Jordan River.

"The remarks are coming in from all over the place," said East Jordan's Dr. John Richter, president of the FOJR. "There are lots locally, but also from downstate and out of state. We've been the conduit for a lot of people's voices to be heard."

More than 500 people have written letters or signed a petition opposing the well, he said. The County of Charlevoix Board of Commissioners, East Jordan City Commission, Antrim County Board of Commissioners and the Michigan chapter of Trout Unlimited all unanimously passed resolutions against the well.

Richter has forwarded the e-mails, letters and petition signatures to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 in Chicago, Ill. The agency, along with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, will determine whether or not toxic waste from Bay Harbor resort on Lake Michigan may be stored underground in the township near Alba.

Among those watching for that decision is Patricia Patterson, a geophysicist who lives in Clearwater, Fla. She wrote to the EPA out of concern for her niece and family who live about three miles from the proposed injection well site.

Patterson said her niece and some of the neighbors did not receive notice that the EPA would hold a June public hearing. In addition, Patterson said the EPA website gave a public hearing date of June 13, but that the hearing actually took place on June 14.

"There should be another public meeting of which the entire population is properly and actually notified," Patterson said in her July 21 letter to the EPA n Chicago.

Former land owner of the Bay Harbor site, CMS Energy, is responsible for the cleanup and safe disposal of the leachate at the multimillion dollar resort.

A spokesman for CMS Energy, Tim Petrosky, said recently that the company maintains a good record in the state and adheres to state and federal regulations.

Reached Monday by telephone, Petrosky said CMS Energy is seeking the permit for a well so that it has complete control of the contamination.

"We understand the public's concern and share that concern," Petrosky said. Some decisions may not please everyone, but the EPA and DEQ's review and determination will be based on scientific facts, he added.

But, Richter says accidents do happen even when a well is engineered to the highest standards. And taking the waste off-site provides many chances for accidents.

The leachate first needs to be collected, then neutralized, pumped, and trucked to the site. Once on site it must be stored before it is flowed into the well.

Petrosky said CMS Energy is also applying for a permit to dispose of the leachate at the Bay Harbor site.

The comment period for both the EPA and the state Department of Environmental Quality ended on July 27. It is unknown at this time when an injection well determination will be made.