05/13/2006
Environmentalists have been tired of talk. They want The Dow
Chemical Co. to take action to clean up local dioxin
contamination. After years of waiting, this week, they are
feeling encouraged.
Dow officials say it’s possible that as the company
continues sampling along and in the Tittabawassee River, it
could also begin removing sediment or soil with high levels of
contamination.
"We’ve said all along: If we were able to identify hot
spots, we would not be reluctant to do that," Dow spokesman John
Musser said.
He was somewhat abstract about the promise – not giving
specific a detail on what levels of contamination would trigger
removal.
The state’s residential contact criteria for dioxin – the
level it considers safe for contact – is 90 parts per trillion.
The federal government uses 1,000 parts per trillion as a
trigger level for clean-up action.
Levels as high as 17,000 parts per trillion have been found
in the Saginaw River, as high as 8,000 ppt in the Tittabawassee
River in Midland, near the Caldwell Boat Launch. DEQ officials
mentioned a recent local sample that showed 23,000 ppt at a
depth of nine feet within the Tittabawassee sediment.
Lone Tree Council founder Terry Miller, of Bay City, made
the request for clean-up at a Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality and Dow hosted meeting at the Horizons
Conference Center in Saginaw. "It doesn’t make any sense to do
an extensive amount of sampling and let it stay when you find
high levels," he said.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Geologist Al
Taylor agreed. Because of the nature of rivers – their constant
rising and falling and flowing, the identification of
contamination can be momentary, ruining chances for returning to
a contaminated site. He calls it a "re-shuffling."
Despite the vagueness of the Dow commitment to clean-up hot
spots, Miller said he is encouraged by the potential. "It’s the
first time at one of these meetings we’ve heard: "Corrective
action and clean-up," he said. "It’s a good step. That’s what
we’ve been asking for since discovering it."
The Lone Tree Council in 2002 learned through documents
obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, that the DEQ
had been made aware of elevated levels of dioxin in the
Tittabawassee River flood plain the year before, following a
soil testing program performed by General Motors as part of a
wetland mitigation project.
The DEQ notified river flood plain residents in 2002 that
there were elevated levels of dioxin there. Dow’s 2003-issued
operating license requires it to complete on and off-site
corrective action to remedy the contamination, which has been
linked to its historic operations.
Miller said he’s like to see hot spots with levels over 90
parts per trillion cleaned-up. "In a perfect world, we’d like to
see the state’s level used," he said. "The state’s level is
probably too low." The Environmental Protection Agency has long
been reviewing its recommendation on acceptable dioxin levels,
and is expected to issue a report in upcoming years. Some expect
its action level to be revised to a level lower than 90 parts
per trillion.
Miller also said he is cautious in his optimism. "I see a
little glimmer of hopes, but certainly the pressure has to
continue," he said. He added there still is concern about Dow’s
proposed timeline for resolution, which includes implementation
of final remedial actions in 2017. |
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