1 automaker, the one that has operated a famed testing facility nearby known as the Milford Proving Ground since the 1920s and has paid for bottled water deliveries to her family’s home and their neighbors since 2014: General Motors.
But several months later, they received a letter from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, notifying them of excessive levels of salt in their water.
O’Nions is now one of several plaintiffs named in a lawsuit filed last autumn against General Motors, alleging the automaker’s decades-long use of salt on roads and in vehicle tests at the 4,011-acre vehicle testing and development facility has contaminated ground and drinking water supplies for The Oaks.
At the facility, GM says, salt is used to de-ice the facility’s roads, test tracks and parking areas, as well as for a variety of corrosion tests on vehicles.
But the study concluded that road salt “appears to be a major source of chloride” at the facility.
That’s when the developer of a new subdivision located just southwest of the proving ground discovered high chloride levels, after drilling wells for homes set to be built in the neighborhood.
“GM may be responsible as they have salt storage on site and use salt in splash testing for cars, etc.” Local county officials conducted tests that confirmed excessive levels of chloride, and that October, Michigan’s environmental quality department told GM that, based on the results of the samples taken, “it appears that a source of sodium and chlorides may therefore emanate from the GM Proving Grounds.” The letter set off a war of sorts between GM and MDEQ that went on for years.
“I had always admired it,” Moore told Jalopnik this month in the living room of her 3,000-square-foot home.
Some residents took up the reverse osmosis option, but Moore and O’Nions said the company balked at installing them for every location in their homes.
When people come to your home and they’re saying, ‘Oh, you live in such a nice neighborhood.

Bundaberg residents affected by a contaminated water supply say they are worried, despite being assured the risk to their health is low.
The local council has switched off drinking water from a reservoir in the suburb of Svensson Heights after unsafe levels of potentially toxic PFAS chemicals were confirmed in the water.
The group of chemicals was used in firefighting foam on Defence bases across the country.
"Even though they were saying on the news it is a very low level, [I] still have concerns," Svensson Heights resident Nadine Russell said.
Ron Holzheimer, who has lived in Svensson Heights for seven years, found out about the contamination on TV.
"We should go and get tested and just check to make sure that we haven’t got any high levels of the contaminant," he said.
Another local resident, Lachlan Robinson, said he had never heard of PFAS before.
Queensland Health is assuring residents the health risks are very low.
Accusations Government kept quiet Queensland Health said its specialist health experts were notified of a potential PFAS contamination by Bundaberg Council last week.
Council said it had no reason to be concerned about its water supply, but passed on earlier unofficial test results from August which showed very low, safe levels of the chemical.

Chennai: Residents in large numbers turned up in Hasthinapuram, for the street corner meeting organised by the Federation of Pallavaram Residents’ Welfare Association last week in the city suburb.
This was in continuation with its first meet held at Radha Nagar on 24 March.
The group is also planning to conduct series of meetings at Pallavaram and Nemilcherry, it is learnt.
While the said meet intended at enlightening residents about various pressing issues like water scarcity, property tax and UGD connections, it also aimed to draw the attention of concerned authorities.
It may be noted that after a huge protest was raised over the hike in property tax under the jurisdiction of Pallavaram Municipality, and authorities concerned had informed the residents that tax collection has been stalled till receiving further order – the issue has not yet been resolved.
“The residents are directed to pay taxes for 13 arrears.
While over 300 persons gathered at the venue, the issue that is continuing for over two months had gained momentum in the last couple of days, with the close of the financial year.
“We are paying tax for a resource which we scarcely receive in the locality.
While levying property tax, a detailed information of cess collected under different heads is divulged.
Then, how will the delay in UGD connection affect the whole system?”

Speaking to News Today, Govindarajan said, “The tank is under the maintenance of the Public Works Department.
It was satisfying agricultural needs for the past 30 years.” “However, all that is now a thing of the past, after the Municipality started dumping waste on its Southern side.
This led to a fall in the catchments during the rainy seasons”, he pointed out.
Residents of Radha Nagar are hence facing a acute water scarcity for the past few years,” he said.
The case is still at court.
Apart from it, Rs 15 crore was sanctioned for this PWD tank and Keelkattalai tank for carrying out improvement works.
“In the absence of agricultural activities, the tank can be used to conserve rainwater for drinking and other purposes.
It can be developed as a hangout spot too, to attract more visitors and generate additional revenue,” he suggested.
Once this is done, the process of removing them will be initiated”.
This news report is based on the inputs of Govindarajan P R, a resident of Chrompet.