MIDLAND - Toxic releases by Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. have damaged the environment in the Saginaw Bay area, a federal official says.
And it will take years, until 2010, or maybe 2015, before trustees in a federal process decide how Dow will compensate the area for the "past, present and future" losses from its dioxin and furan discharges, said Lisa Williams, contaminants specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in East Lansing.
For now, the Wildlife Service is taking public comment until May 19 on a draft Natural Resource Damage Assessment plan for coming up with a final conclusion that may include restoration projects and a large monetary settlement.
The idea is to somehow make up for the public's lost enjoyment of natural resources over time, she said, such as not being able to eat certain fish due to consumption advisories that have been in place on the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers and Saginaw Bay for more than 30 years.
"These are compounds that are toxic at very low concentrations," Williams said of dioxins and furans.
"These compounds are persistent in the environment and accumulate up the food chain."
About 40 people showed up for a public meeting on the assessment plan on Thursday at the Valley Plaza Resort in Midland.
No Dow representatives spoke.
Williams said a dollar amount hasn't been agreed upon for the settlement, but trustees from state, federal and tribal agencies have been collecting restoration ideas from groups including local governments and environmental organizations.
Those ideas include a wetland restoration at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, a project to improve fish passage at the Dow Chemical dam and the purchase of adjacent properties to expand public land.
Ziggy Kozicki, a Midland educator who recently organized an environmental film festival at the State Theatre in Bay City, has delivered a proposal to Williams to create a Great Lakes Water Research Institute in the city.
The facility would research the effects of water quality problems on animals and humans and work with industry to design and build next-generation wastewater treatment systems for the Great Lakes and other parts of the world.
Kozicki estimates the cost at $6 million for a building and $3 million a year for 10 years to operate the institute, after which it would become self-sustaining through grants and contracts.
The institute would be paired with an educational institution, like Central Michigan University or Delta College, where a meeting is planned for late May.
"If we solve the Saginaw Bay watershed problems, then we can duplicate that solution in other places," Kozicki said.
Williams said the timeline for a final remedy depends on the speed of
a state and federal cleanup that's happening alongside the NRDA process.
That cleanup has been forecast to be complete as soon as 2010 or take up
until 2015, she said.
Williams said Dow is not involved in establishing the restoration criteria, but is working with the trustees on gathering data on impacts to land, fish, wildlife, air, water, and other resources.
http://www.mlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/04/decision_on_dow_dioxin_damage.html
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