EPA, community talk about water health
By Tony Lascari, Midland Daily News
02/01/2008

A wide range of environmental concerns was addressed Thursday when about 100 people came together at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency community meeting at Saginaw Valley State University.

James Schardt, of the EPA, described three major concerns in the Saginaw Bay -- increasing algae growth, wetlands being overrun by invasive species and toxins building in the food chain. Another area resident expressed concerns about proposed coal power plants.

"I think 2008 is going to be a very important year for Saginaw Bay," Schardt said.

For the toxic chemical byproduct dioxin, work in 2008 will include more of the cleanup and mapping of area rivers seen in 2007, said Ralph Dollhopf, associate director of the EPA Region 5 Superfund Division.

"For the first time in a quarter of a century there was substantive action," he said.

Dollhopf said it is agreed to by everybody that The Dow Chemical Co.'s Midland site is the source of the dioxin contamination. He said everyone has agreed with the effectiveness of the GeoMorph river mapping system in locating deposits, with thousands of data points already collected along the Tittabawassee River.

Soon, the only point of contention will be the toxicity of dioxin and furans, he said.

Studies done by Dow and through unrestricted grants from the company to university researchers have shown dioxin has limited to no impact on human health.

"I have yet to see in all my years a health hazard," Dow retiree Etcyl Blair said during the meeting.

The federal government has named dioxin a known carcinogen. Terry Miller, of the Lone Tree Council, asked what could be done to counter Dow's claims about dioxin's toxicity.

Dollhopf said the EPA has enough data to continue implementing the protective cleanup measures taking place.

Cleanup has taken place with both the state and federal governments overseeing the work. The state is using its authority to require mapping on the rivers and the federal government's Superfund capabilities are speeding cleanup. Dollhopf said that system has worked well and will continue to be the pattern for future action.

The EPA had tried in the fall to negotiate with Dow to bring the project under one authority, but the EPA pulled out of negotiations, with Dollhopf stating Dow did not go far enough in its plans.

"The EPA terminated those negotiations in January of 2008 when it became clear to us that it wasn't likely, it wasn't even close to being likely, it wasn't going to be possible to sustain the type of progress that was made for the first time in over 25 years," Dollhopf said.

The exact details of the points of contention are confidential, Dollhopf reiterated.

"I can only emphasize for you, that it would be a travesty for the EPA to do anything that would undermine the progress that has been made to date over the last several months, over the last year, with respect to getting Dow to step up and accept responsibility for its legacy in environmental contamination," he said.

Dow officials have stated that on the day the company planned to submit a revised offer, the EPA notified Dow it was pulling out of talks.

Dollhopf said Dow sponsors many events and facilities in the community, and it's time for the company to step up and work to resolve the river to leave a legacy for the people of the area.

"That's what the citizens of these communities deserve," he said.

Dow spokesman John Musser has said the company is committed to working with the agencies to solve the dioxin contamination issues in a timely way that addresses all of the concerns.

Al Taylor, with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said Dow's dioxin sampling will continue this year in the middle section of the Tittabawassee River and head into the lower section.

Remedial cleanup action in 2007 included sediment dredging and bank restoration. Taylor said there will be more areas to target for cleanup, and there will be more opportunities to find ways to repair the sites that are "softer" on the environment.

One concern that will need to be addressed is eroding river banks, which could spill dioxins into the waterway.

The state is reviewing a revised Remedial Investigation Work Plan submitted by Dow, with the main areas of issue being human health and ecological risk assessments. The state is preparing a Notice of Deficiency for the Tittabawassee River Remedial Investigation Work Plan, which it expects to deliver to Dow in February. Following that, Dow will have a 60-day period to respond.

A scope of work plan for the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay is expected to be approved by the MDEQ, which would start another 60-day period to develop a separate Remedial Investigation Work Plan. The goal is to have Dow beginning work on the river by the summer, Taylor said.

On other topics, Bay County Commissioner Kim Coonan asked how extensive the algae growth is on the bay.

"We definitely don't know enough," Schardt said, noting that work to be completed this summer with the MDEQ will show more about the issue, as well as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration project.

Gary Gulezian, with the EPA, said the NOAA study could help leaders make management decisions quicker.

"The lakes right now are changing at a rate that we haven't seen before," he said.

In response to concerns about proposed coal power plants, Jim Sygo of the MDEQ said if any plants are approved they would include technology to protect the environment from harmful emissions.

"We are not fast-tracking any of these plants," he said.

Dollhopf said the EPA is involved in oversight of each state's permitting process for power plants.

"This is something that we'll be watching from the federal level," he said.

©Midland Daily News 2008

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 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.