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Dow Chemical to clean up dioxin contamination in Saginaw's Riverside Boulevard neighborhood

Release Date: 07/15/2008
Contact Information: Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov Karen Thompson, 312-353-8547, thompson.karen@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 08-OPA121


CHICAGO (July 15, 2008) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today announced an agreement with Dow Chemical Co. that requires the company to clean up dioxin contamination in the Riverside Boulevard neighborhood of Saginaw, Mich. Construction work in this neighborhood on the Lower Tittabawassee River is expected to begin in late July and continue through the fall.

EPA's data shows unacceptably high levels of dioxin contamination in yards, the unpaved Riverside Boulevard roadway and in the interior of some homes.
Last April, EPA took soil samples at the residential properties following discussions and consultation with Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Michigan Department of Community Health.

"We are pleased that Dow and EPA were able to reach agreement on the terms of this cleanup," said EPA Region 5 Superfund Division Director Richard Karl. "EPA will continue to oversee all aspects of the work along Riverside Boulevard in close coordination with MDEQ and MDCH."

The agreement, called an administrative order on consent, includes:
* Excavation of residential yards, then backfilling with clean soil.
* Interior cleaning of homes.
* Remediation of unpaved surfaces on Riverside Boulevard.

Dow's Midland facility is a 1,900-acre chemical manufacturing plant. Dioxins and furans are byproducts from the manufacture of chlorine-based products. Past waste disposal practices, emissions and incineration at Dow have resulted in on- and off-site dioxin and furan contamination.

A copy of the administrative order on consent and other documents are at https://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/dowchemical.