Resident tells Clare County commissioners leaking waste trucks are sickening neighborhood near school

Raven Elliot, a Clare County resident, told the board she and neighbors near the south end of Harrison are experiencing persistent illness and respiratory problems they believe are caused by leaking waste-management trucks and local drainage near homes and a school. “I just had … Clair[e] County put new drains in and all that to try to stop the pollution … and now we’re doing worse,” Elliot said during public comment, adding that people in Haste Township have been calling about illness and that she has been ill for 15 years.

Elliot said she has contacted the county health department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but that residents feel the scope of the problem is not being treated as a community‑wide public‑health issue. “It is right next to our school. It is right next to our drinking water and we cannot get help,” she said, and described sudden breathing difficulty while in her garage.

The remarks underscored several specific claims: leaking waste trucks that spill material into road drains; odors and visible bags of waste on nearby trails; and a high number of local illness reports (the transcript includes a reference to “650 people sick in Haste Township” this month). Elliot said she is not seeking money, only that officials act to protect residents’ health.

The board did not take formal action on the complaint during the meeting. County staff and the Administrator heard the comment; county records show Elliot raised the matter to encourage follow-up with health and environmental authorities. The county’s transcript uses both “Clair County” and “Clare County”; the county’s official name is Clare County. The transcript also alternates between spellings of local township names (Haste/Haze) and other place names; those variations are reflected in the public remarks.

Next steps: Elliot requested the board record the complaint and press state and federal agencies for investigation. The meeting record does not show a subsequent formal referral or vote to open a county-level investigation during this session.