SAGINAW (AP) — Dow Chemical Co. has submitted a revised
plan to deal with dioxin contamination downstream from its Midland
plant on the Tittabawassee River floodplain, where high levels of
the toxic byproducts have been found.
The plan submitted Tuesday met the state Department of
Environmental Quality’s deadline, The Saginaw News reported.
Regulators hope it will cap a contamination problem that has
prompted litigation by residents along the river.
The plan provides a blueprint for cleaning up the floodplain. It
outlines a wild game study, soil sampling in several Midland
neighborhoods and the removal of contaminated agricultural land
from production.
The new plan, which comes two months after the state told
Midland-based Dow to refine its original proposal, details an
effort that would build community information centers, cover parks
with new soil or wood chips to reduce dioxin exposure and map the
floodplain.
With a final draft in hand, state regulators could approve the
plan or adopt it with changes.
Last month, the state Department of Community Health said it
would investigate dioxin levels in people who live on the
Tittabawassee River floodplain. Dioxins are highly toxic byproducts
of manufacturing and incineration systems and may cause cancer,
birth defects and other health problems in humans.
More than 300 plaintiffs are suing Dow Chemical over
contamination along the Tittabawassee River. The lawsuit seeks
damages for lost property value and seeks establishment of a
medical monitoring trust fund to pay for residents’ dioxin
poisoning testing and treatment, if necessary.