Lone Tree Council and TRW
Dioxin Update #120
April 29, 2008
Below is a letter sent to the
Lieutenant Governor, John Cherry, by Zilwaukee Twp requesting a meeting
before any decision is made on the slurry pit slated for the township. A
letter was also sent by the Supervisor of Frankenlust Twp, which is also on
the unfortunate receiving end of the this dredge site which straddles county
lines. This site has been controversial because of the high concentrations
of Dow's dioxin in the Saginaw River. These elected officials want a
meeting with the Lieutenant Governor before any decision is made. There
concerns are legitimate. This dredge site will forever change their
communities. They have been forced to take a risk for the business community
along the river. They are entitled to some respect and the meeting they
want. Then again so have the taxpayers who are liable for this site. We own
it. To date there is no threshold for dioxin levels and no plan to present
to the public as to how this site will be managed. Yet, it appears to be OK
with elected officials and editorial boards alike.
This dredge site has been cloaked
in the secrecy of confidentiality within the ADR ( alternative dispute
resolution) established by the Lieutenant Governor's closed door meetings
with Dow four year ago. A process ignored by the media. Yet meeting notes
and documents ( available before the ADR) clearly reflect Dow's interest in
this site and EPA and DEQ's interest in this site as an option for Dow
Chemical. Zilwaukee and Frankenlust Twp have legitimate concerns, but
perhaps, other Twps, those along the Tittabawassee River have concerns too.
Perhaps they don't know it just yet.
Whatever decision the Lieutenant
Governor comes up with best be sound. Why? Because Dow, when it sites a
facility on the Tittabawassee River will expect no more stringent standard
than the DMDF. Dow's Greg Cochran, was quite candid with myself and Terry
Miller, on our tour of the Tittabawassee River, that the company would
likely need to site something on the Tittabawassee river.
Here's EPA's comments in 2005 after a
call with the Corp of Engineers about the DMDF:
Ken Westlake’s (EPA)
"DOW WILL ARGUE THAT THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE MORE PROTECTIVE IN THEIR
SEDIMENT CLEANUP AND DISPOSAL"
We await the LG's decision. But here's
what we know at this moment:
There is no slurry wall
No ground water permits
No Operational Management Plan
No threshold for dioxin levels
No commitment from the Board of
Commissioners that this cannot be used by Dow
This site is cloaked in the ADR
The report by Environ, stating no need for
a slurry wall, ( much cheaper) was paid for by Dow Chemical
The Corp and County from day one did not
have the money to do this project
There is limited knowledge of the levels
of dioxin in the navigational channel
The highest concentrations of dioxin ever
in any river were found in the Saginaw River
There have been no public meetings on this
site in three years
There is no NPDES permit
There has been no cost benefit analysis
produced for this site
It sets in the middle of the Crow Island
Game Reserve
It's in the flood way of the Saginaw River
Please somebody give me one good reason
why this site should go forward without further inquiry, investigation,
discussion, permits and a full vetting of all details. This is a bad, bad
precedent for a watershed in recovery.
Please go to
www.dredgeitright.org to view
congressional testimony about the Corp of Engineers many flaws in planning and
environmental protection. We can and should do better.
Best Regards,
Michelle Hurd Riddick
Lone Tree Council
Zilwaukee Twp Letter
| |
TOWNSHIP OF ZILWAUKEE
6189 Sherman Road
Saginaw, Michigan
48604
Mailing address:
Patricia
Bradt, clerk
7600 Melbourne Road
Saginaw, Michigan
48604
Phone & Fax 989.753.6036
|
TOWNSHIP
OF ZILWAUKEE
6189 Sherman Road
Saginaw, Michigan 48604
Mailing address: Patricia Bradt, clerk
600 Melbourne Road
Saginaw, Michigan 48604
Phone & Fax 989.753.6036
|
A “Family” Community Living and Growing Together
Protectors of Human Life, preserving our
wildlife and “Great Lakes” water
April 28, 2008
Honorable Lt. Governor
John D. Cherry Jr. Via first class mail
P. O. Box
30013 via fax @
517.241.3956
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Honorable Lt. Governor
John D. Cherry Jr.,
On behalf of the Township
of Zilwaukee we insist you make no decision in regards to the Dredge
Management Disposal Facility or “the pit” located in Zilwaukee and
Frankenlust Townships until you meet with the residents, citizens and
taxpayers of both Townships.
This site was imposed or
in better words “dumped” on our communities with minimal transparency
without explanation of future plans as to how the Corps will manage the
highly contaminated sediments from the Saginaw River.
Our Townships were assured
a slurry wall would be constructed at the site in addition to testing wells;
groundwater permit processes were to follow and have not taken place.
Additional public hearings would take place in an effort to listen to the
voices of those involved. All of the above stated facts are off the
negotiation table for those directly involved. The two townships directly,
and the entire Tri-County area are concerned about the Great Lakes and their
proper cleanup.
A final Operational
Management Plan from the Corp of Engineers has not been completed. There
has been no maintenance plan approved and put into effect. No one should
make any decisions until the deficiencies outlined by the DEQ in the draft
OMP are addressed.
Zilwaukee Township’s case
before the Department of Environmental Quality Administrative Law Judge is
still pending due to noncompliance of agencies to produce the proper
documents to operate and maintain such a hazardous waste facility.
There is limited of
sampling in the navigational channel, however five miles north are the
highest concentrations of dioxin in the nation. These are acknowledged
findings in the Saginaw River. People do live next to this DMDF.
To: Lieutenant
Governor Cherry dated: April 28, 2008 page two
The entire Tri-County Area
will be effected when these hazardous contaminates are not contained or
properly disposed.
Questions Zilwaukee
Township would like to ask:
Lieutenant Governor Cherry
have you ever been out to this site?
Have you ever visited the
homes of the people who can throw a stone into this pit where these
contaminated sediments and rotting organics will be placed?
Why would you as our
Lieutenant Governor step into a situation such as this with a State Agency
here to protect and provide a quality of life for all?
If there is any fairness
or parity, respect for township government, then you or your representative
will agree to meet with us.
We look forward to hearing
from you soon.
Respectfully,
Patricia Bradt, Clerk
Township of Zilwaukee
Cc Saginaw County Board of
Commissioners
Bay County Board of
Commissioners
-------------------------------------------
In fact, more
than a decade of reports from the National Academy of Sciences, Government
Accountability Office, Army Inspector General, U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy, and independent experts have revealed a pattern of stunning flaws in
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project planning and implementation. And last
November, Congress even passed a law that requires the National Academy of
Sciences (or similar body) to independently review certain costly or
controversial Corps projects. The GAO in 2006 stated: that recent Corps
studies “did not provide a reasonable basis for decision-making” because
they were “were fraught with errors, mistakes, and miscalculations, and used
invalid assumptions and outdated data.”
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 source organization's web site link is listed above. The Newspaper / Media page of our site contains an extensive archive of media articles dating back to January 2002. The Newspaper / Media page may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of the CONTENTS section and clicking on the Newspaper/Media link.