MIDLAND, MI -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment before the next phase of The Dow Chemical Co.'s dioxin contamination cleanup begins.
"We've opened up our next phase in cleanup on the Tittabawassee River," said Diane Russell, community involvement coordinator for the U.S. EPA. "We've been working upstream to downstream."
Dioxin contamination cleanup efforts started in 2012. The affected stretch of the river was divided into seven segments, with Segment 1 located alongside Dow's Midland plant, Russell explained.
"Every year, we've been working on these segments, addressing dioxin contamination, other contamination, if we've found that," she said.
Now, EPA officials are proposing a plan to clean up dioxin-contaminated sediment and riverbanks in Segments 4 and 5. Those two segments include a six-mile stretch of the Tittabawassee River starting about 11.5 miles downstream of Dow's Midland plant, according to the EPA website.
The proposed next phase of the cleanup efforts would cost an estimated $5.2 million to $6 million, Russell said. Meanwhile, floodplain cleanup is ongoing.
"Dow pays and conducts the work and EPA conducts oversight of that work," she explained.
Read more about the proposal here.
The history of the contamination problem is summarized on the agency's website:
"The Dow Chemical Company facility in Midland, Michigan, began operating in 1897. The 1,900-acre facility abuts the Tittabawassee River; most of the plant is located on the east side of the river and south of the city of Midland. At various times, the Midland Plant produced over 1,000 different organic and inorganic chemicals. Dioxins and furans were byproducts formed during the manufacture of chlorine-based products, including chlorophenolic compounds manufactured at the plant since the 1930s. Elevated dioxin levels in and along the Tittabawassee River and downstream appear to be primarily attributable to liquid wastes that were discharged in the past directly into the river from the facility.
Past waste disposal practices at the Midland Plant have resulted in on- and off-site contamination that settled in some sediment and built up in some riverbanks and floodplain areas. Off-site contamination extends over 50 miles downstream through the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers and into Saginaw Bay."
Before the proposed plans can move forward, the EPA must allow for public comment. A 45-day public comment period began Sept. 22 and will continue through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments via email, mail, by completing this online comment form or during a meeting to take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Arrowwood Elementary School, 5410 Seidel Road in Saginaw Township.
Written comments can be mailed to: Diane Russell, Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 5 Superfund Division, Community Information Office, 1101 S. Saginaw St., N101, Flint, MI 48502.
A Dow spokesperson issued the following statement:
"Dow continues to follow the EPA's systematic cleanup process on the river and floodplain. We have made significant progress so far, working segment by segment from upstream to downstream. As this work continues there should be a long-term positive impact on the concentrations in the sediments and fish in the Tittabawassee River.
"Dow's goal is to complete the process in a way that causes minimal disruption to property owners, which is why community engagement is so important. We remain committed to continuing our collaborative relationship with EPA and DEQ to make progress toward resolving the issue."
This next phase of the cleanup could begin next year.
"We hope to, if all goes well, have work start in segment four in 2017 and hopefully have that phase into work in segment five in 2018," Russell said.
She implored anyone who has an interest in this issue to submit their comments by Nov. 6.
"I've worked in communities across the state and the value of having public give you feedback before you make a decision is crucial to doing good governance," she said.
"As a community involvement coordinator, I don't think we do our jobs as well as we can without public input."
Get more Dow Chemical news here.