Dow Chemical Dioxin Cleanup Sites
Saginaw, Michigan
ESC has contracted with E² Inc. to represent the Lone Tree Council and the river communities’ interests during the cleanup of the Tittabawassee River, the Saginaw River and the Saginaw Bay. Dow Chemical is responsible for polluting 52-miles of these waterways with dioxins. The site has not been listed on the NPL, but Dow has just signed an Agreement and Order on Consent with EPA and Michigan DEQ to take responsibility for the cleanup. The AOC requires Dow to conduct a Remedial Investigation, prepare a Feasibility Study and develop a Response Design, on which the EPA and MDEQ will have oversight. ESC will be involved at the very foundation of this new cleanup as the Lone Tree Council’s technical reviewer of the AOC through the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities program.
Dioxins, known to cause cancer and diabetes, are unsafe even at very low levels because they build up in humans and wildlife over time. Dow’s contamination has affected this particular site for over 20 years.
Resources
Lone Tree Council’s involvement with Dow and the EPA
EPA’s TASC program
Carcinogenic effects of dioxins
AOC Community Fact Sheet
Pictures from Peter’s recent trip to the site
Scientific Articles on Dioxin
Overview of the CERCLA Superfund Regulatory Process
ESC Documents
Dr. deFur’s presentation from the 12/15/09 community conversation at Delta College