An environmental group is taking aim at Dow Chemical.
JENNIFER BORRASSO, ABC12 NEWS, SEPTEMBER 19, 2006
SAGINAW COUNTY (WJRT) – (09/19/06)–The Lone Tree Council group held a press conference on Tuesday saying that Dow Chemical may be planning to dump dioxin into a dredge disposal facility site being built alongside the Saginaw River.
Lone Tree Council members say the proof is in documents they obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Right now construction on a storage facility for dredged material from the Saginaw River is still underway.
Crews are building a 281 acre site, which straddles the Zilwaukee- Frankenlust Township line, in both Saginaw and Bay counties.
The disposal site is expected to be done by October. Dredging will start sometime next summer to allow ships to easily come in and out of the River.
Now, Lone Tree Council says an April 2006 EPA memo says that Dow has looked into the option of putting other spoils contaminated with dioxins at the disposal site.
The group argues the Army Corps of Engineers has discussed the plan with Dow without public scrutiny or input.
And, the site is not designed to contain the highly dioxin-contaminated materials that Dow eventually must remove from the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay.
“Why are we taking on liability for Dow Chemical’s contamination?” asked Loan Tree Council member Michelle Hurd Riddle. “Under Dow’s corrective license, Dow is responsible for the sediments in the Saginaw River. It is their responsibility to clean it up and dispose of it. That liability is being passed on to taxpayers of Saginaw county.”
A Dow spokesman says the company is looking at the site. He goes on to say if the company decides to put waste there they would put money towards improving the dump site.
Jennifer Borrasso
Share this:
