Next steps for dioxin cleanup still under discussion
 12/20/2007
By Tony Lascari, Midland Daily News

Four sites along the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers were cleaned of dioxin contamination this year. What progress toward ridding local waterways of the contaminant can people expect in 2008?

The answer depends on a document under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 office, in which The Dow Chemical Co. proposes actions the company should take to protect the waterways.

EPA spokesman Mick Hans said the document is still under review and future work on dioxin could be impacted by the discussions taking place.

"Making progress in the Tri-City area is a very high priority to the EPA and will remain so in the coming year," he said.

Dow submitted its offer Dec. 10 after a 60-day discussion period between the company, the EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

While details are not being released about the proposal, Dow stated it offered to complete a remedial investigation, conduct feasibility studies for evaluating various remedies, prepare a remedial design and continue to implement EPA-selected interim actions before the implementation of the final remedy.

Dow spokesman John Musser said the company has yet to receive a response to the proposal, but the company expects to work with the EPA to finalize an agreement soon.

Dow's Michigan Operations site in Midland is an historic source of dioxin contamination. The company has stated it wants the contamination issue resolved as quickly as possible while protecting the health of area residents, the environment and the community.

Dow and the MDEQ were making plans for the remedial cleanup of three sites this summer when the EPA used its Superfund capabilities to speed up the process. At the time, the EPA stated that it wanted work at the sites finished by the end of the year.

While the MDEQ doesn't have the final say in approving the latest plan submitted to Dow, it has been a part of the discussion, said MDEQ spokesman Bob McCann.

Cleanup progressed this year, with Dow completing remedial cleanup on three sites along the Tittabawassee River. The contaminated material was removed, drained of water and disposed of in Dow's Salzburg Road Landfill.

Terry Miller, with the local environmental group the Lone Tree Council, said the group is pleased that cleanup efforts have begun.

"We're certainly pleased that some initial steps have been taken to remove dioxin from the Tittabawassee River," Miller said. "We of course wonder what comes next, and also who is going to measure the success of removals to date?"

He said the council wants to know who will determine if already-completed work was adequate and who will determine the final solution for local contamination issues.

"Those are big question marks that concern us deeply," Miller said.

Miller said the council has a wish list of things it hopes for in the coming year, including sediment traps that would collect contamination before it heads downriver.

"We would hope that between the two regulatory agencies there would be a great level of aggressiveness in sampling and removals," he said, as well as openness in the process.

A fourth contamination site needing immediate attention was found on the Saginaw River near Wickes Park in Saginaw. Dow's Musser said today that work at the site was complete and equipment is being demobilized and the site restored.

Sediment removal at the site was completed with a submersible suction system, or vacuum, that was operated underwater by divers. The material pumped to the surface had water filtered out and will be taken to Dow's Salzburg Road Landfill.

The City of Midland Landfill operates on the notion that Midland is a closed county, meaning no waste from outside can be brought in and no waste from inside can be shipped out. But, City of Midland Utilities Director Noel Bush said solid waste documents are moot on Dow's Salzburg Road Landfill, which is a hazardous waste facility not intended for residential or commercial waste.

After reviewing the plan to bring the Saginaw River materials to Dow's landfill, Bush said it sounded reasonable.

"It's their use of their landfill and they have a right to do it," Bush said.
 

For additional articles like this one, go to the Tittabawassee 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.