March 16, 2007 marked the return of the spring floods which are typical on the Tittabawassee
River. Two flood events occurred between 3/16/07 and 3/24/07.
As the images below indicate, flooding of property and parks occur at levels
less than the official 24 foot flood stage.
03/24/07
Dioxin on the move, 2 floods so far
this month
The flood stage of the Tittabawassee River is
approximately 24 feet. As the images below show,
flooding occurs on many properties at lower levels.
Hard to imagine anyone thinking
they can predict where all the dioxin
laden soil lands after the flood, especially that
100,000 ppt "hot spot"
located a few miles upstream of where these photos were taken.
Click
here to watch a short video of the river in action MDCH Warning:, people should take precautions when entering the flood
plain: "There are some common sense steps you can take to limit your exposure to
the dioxins found in the flood plain. If you have been playing or working in
soil that could be contaminated, wash your skin to remove any dirt. Thorough
hand washing is especially important before eating. Children playing outside
should be prevented from putting toys or other dirty objects in their mouths.
Clean fill dirt can be added over contaminated dirt in gardens, on lawns, and in
play areas if dioxin contamination is known or suspected. However, if the
area is flooded after clean fill is added, the surface soil could be
re-contaminated. Care should be taken not to disturb the layer of clean soil
covering the contaminated soil. Because they may be especially sensitive to
dioxins, children should not play in soil or sediment that is known to contain
elevated levels of dioxins. "
For more information concerning flooding in previous years,
click here.
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