Detroit News Thursday, December 4, 2003

By Associated Press

SAGINAW -- Dow Chemical Co. has not met the state's expectations for dealing with dioxin along the Tittabawassee River, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

State regulators will release a "notice of deficiency" to the Midland-based chemical giant next week that details the shortcomings of its plans to clean up dioxin in the floodplain, The Saginaw News reported.

The DEQ has reported dioxin levels along the Tittabawassee River up to 80 times higher than the state standard and has ordered Dow to develop a remediation plan.

Dow officials say they are trying to develop the right approach for coping with the contamination problem.

"Individuals and families who live along the river are telling us that they want answers, but they want what is right," Dow spokeswoman Terri M. Johnson said. "We have to understand what is right."

Al Taylor, senior geologist for the DEQ's hazardous waste division, said Wednesday that Dow Chemical's proposed cleanup plan is not sufficient.

The plan gives Dow too much time to complete its work, he said. Taylor wants to see the timeline compressed to "this year or as soon as possible."

It also lacks plans for sampling soil in Midland neighborhoods near Dow, for identifying properties in Saginaw Township where residents are at high risk for dioxin exposure, and for posting warning signs in public parks along the river, Taylor said. The department also wants Dow to stop crop production on company-owned farms in the "frequently flooded" areas of the Tittabawassee River floodplain.

After the state releases the deficiency notice, Dow will have 45 days to submit a revised plan.

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.