Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed $5.4 million settlement with The Dow Chemical Co. to recover costs for EPA’s cleanup work at the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River & Bay Superfund site in Midland, Michigan. EPA began a 30-day public comment period today.
In 1897, the 1,900-acre Dow facility began producing various chemicals along the Tittabawassee River. Most of the plant is located on the east side of the river and south of the city of Midland. At various times, the Midland Plant produced more than 1,000 different organic and inorganic chemicals. Historical operations at Dow’s Midland Plant caused the release of toxic chemicals known as dioxins into the Tittabawassee River which moved downstream and mixed with sediment in the Saginaw River and Bay.
The costs recovered by the proposed settlement are associated with EPA performing sampling work at the site, negotiating time critical and non-time critical removal orders with Dow prior to 2010, as well as negotiating the 2010 Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent for the remedial investigation, feasibility study, and remedial design at the site.
Public comments on the proposed settlement will be accepted online until Feb. 26.
Comments can be submitted here.
More information can be found on EPA’s website.