City won't let DEQ take samples

Kathie Marchlewski , Midland Daily News 04/29/2004

Before the ground froze last winter, the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality had asked Midland officials if soil samples could be
drawn from the city for use in the EPA Superfund Innovative Technology
Evaluation Monitoring and Measurement Technology Program. Hoping to test
areas expected to have high levels of dioxin contamination, the agency
wanted two gallons of dirt from three sites: Virginia Park, a small park
near Corning and Kent lanes, and the M-20 median north of Dow's Michigan
Operations.

The answer: No.

The DEQ was denied the access to city-owned property, and instead had to
work with the Michigan Department of Transportation to collect from public
rights of way.

The sampling was intended for one project, but others are nearing and
more samples are likely to be requested this spring. The Dow Chemical Co. is
required by the state, under its hazardous waste operating permit issued
last June, to address dioxin contamination in Midland soils. The
contamination is expected to have been deposited by airborne movements to
the northeast of the Michigan Operations site.

Mayor R. Drummond Black and City Manager Karl Tomion say the hesitation
to cooperate with agencies studying Midland soil is based on the best
interests of residents. It's not that they are against samples being drawn,
they just want the state to offer details on its plans ahead of time.
When levels above the state's residential standard of 90 parts per
trillion were discovered within the Tittabawassee River flood plain,
residential properties were labeled hazardous waste facilities by the DEQ.
The label has alarmed residents and has the potential to affect property
values and deter future development there.

That's just the fate city officials want to avoid.

"Our goal is to monitor the process between Dow and the DEQ to make sure
they don't come up with a solution that ignores the needs of Midland
citizens," Black said.

He argues the DEQ never has said what actions should be taken to address
different levels of contamination, nor has it proven there's any reason to
clean up contamination.

The only way to solve the issue, he believes, is to complete a
comprehensive health study to show whether dioxin poses a health risk.
"If we don't settle it now, 10 years from now they're going to come back
and raise it again," Black said.

The Michigan Department of Community Health is working on a pilot dioxin
exposure investigation that will include 25 people residing in the
Tittabawassee River area, but no more state money has been budgeted for a
complete study, according to state Se. Tony Stamas, who chairs the MDCH
budget committee. Dow has offered several times to fund a study, but state
officials have said they don't have a legal mechanism to accept such
funding. At a recent press conference, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said the
possibility exists to set up some agreement with the company.

Meanwhile, the city wants to know what DEQ plans are for results of soil
samples before any are taken. The EPA action level for dioxin
contamination - 1,000 ppt - is more than 10 times the state's standard.
While that number is under review, it has not been decided if it should be
lowered and, if so, why. The DEQ also has not given specific criteria for
what actions should be taken to address specific levels.

"People want to move ahead, collect the data, then come back and decide
what they want to use the data for," Tomion said. "We want to make sure it's
an objective review (of the state level) and that is scientific, not
political," Tomion said. "We're not afraid of good science."
DEQ officials say they hope they can work with the city to move ahead
with sampling and future remediation plans, if needed.

"All of us realize we have to find a practicable way to ensure cleanup
without negative effects to Midland residents," said George Bruchmann of the
DEQ. "We've got to accommodate the interests to the degree that the law
allows us to."

©Midland Daily News 2004

For additional articles like this one, go to the Tittabawasse River Watch web site www.trwnews.net for complete coverage of the Tittabawassee River Dow Chemical dioxin contamination saga. . The Newspaper / Media page of our site contains an extensive archive of media articles dating back to January 2002. The source organization's web site link is listed to the right of the article, visit often for other news in our area. The Newspaper / Media page may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of the CONTENTS section and clicking on the Newspaper/Media link.