(La Porte County, IN) - A proposal to dispose of industrial waste water deep below the ground at Kingsbury Industrial Park was shot down last night.

 

Before a packed house, the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously denied a request for a special exception by a company that wanted to inject up to a half million gallons of industrial waste water per day.

 

The liquid would have wound up at least 2,000 feet below the surface, but concerns were expressed over things like the safety of such waste disposal methods.

 

La Porte County Commissioner Joe Haney supported the BZA’s decision.

 

“It’s like a liquid landfill underground.  I don’t think that benefits La Porte County nor is it the highest and best use for the property,” he said.

 

The request was made by Milestone Environmental Services, an industrial waste handling and disposal firm, which planned to inject what it described as non-hazardous liquids such as oily waters, light metal bearing fluids and water based paints.

 

According to company officials, La Porte County was chosen as the site because it’s within 50 miles of 50 million gallons of waste water annually that’s currently treated or shipped off site.