MDEQ: River banks a contamination concern
02/08/2008
 By Tony Lascari, Midland Daily News

River bank restoration that is gentle on the environment will be one focus for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality while making dioxin cleanup plans in 2008.

Some of the highest concentrations of dioxins and furans have been found in river banks, and a high proportion of banks tested were contaminated, according to the MDEQ's Al Taylor.

"There are miles and miles of eroding banks along the Tittabawassee River," he said at an MDEQ community meeting about dioxin contamination on Thursday in Saginaw Township.

Allowing the banks to erode could put contaminants back into the river system, which could mean more dioxin exposure for fish and wildlife, as well as more contamination of properties, Taylor said.

By examining how the river banks have moved over time, the MDEQ can target sites for action.

"Rivers do that; they're dynamic things," Taylor said. "They don't stay stationary over time."

Last year dioxin cleanup in sections labeled reaches J and K of the river included riverbank stabilization in which trees and other vegetation were removed, and the soil was excavated and natural vegetation was replanted. What the MDEQ is looking at for 2008 is a way to treat the area more gently.

That could include using plant materials native to the area to stabilize the banks, along with some grading of the slopes and channel control.

Because what's done on one part of the river can impact the river downstream, the decisions need to be made carefully, Taylor said. He said while it's impractical to excavate every mile of the river bank, 2008 is likely to see more interim response activities, such as cleanups on the Tittabawassee River at reaches D, J, K and O.

"It's important that any of these interim removal actions are integrated into the overall solution," Taylor said.

Terry Miller, of the local environmental group Lone Tree Council, said the MDEQ's plan for the year is "good and ambitious."

Representatives from The Dow Chemical Co., which is responsible for the dioxin contamination in the Tittabawassee River, chose not to participate in the meeting because they did not have sufficient new information to present. They are expected to participate in the May 7 community meeting.

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who had planned to attend Thursday's meeting were unable to because of the recent snowstorm.
 

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.