by Donna Marie Iadipaolo

Rep. Debbie Dingell hosted a panel discussion and public Q&A session titled “Gelman Dioxane Plume Community Update Forum” on June 28 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center.

A crowd of approximately 150 people attended and filled the venue. Debbie Dingell made opening statements, commented throughout, and gave a closing statement. The panel made opening remarks and answered questions from attendees.

“We gotta look forward now, and the one thing I want, I talked to everyone about this, everybody here, all of the…” Dingell said. “How do we make sure, keeping this from spreading, so nobody is in danger, and it’s going to take a while to get this (the toxic plume) cleaned up. A toxic plume is damn hard to clean up. It’s hard. It requires real know-how. But everybody is devoted to keeping everybody safe.” 

“It’s going to take a while to get this (the toxic plume) cleaned up. A toxic plume is damn hard to clean up. It’s hard. It requires real know-how. But everybody is devoted to keeping everybody safe.” –Rep. Debbie Dingell

The Gelman Sciences filter-manufacturing facility on Wagner Road discharged an estimated 850,000 pounds of 1,4-dioxane between 1966 and 1986 to the soil, surface water, and groundwater. The contamination was first discovered offsite in 1984 and the first clean-up consent judgment/settlement was in 1992. 

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that 1,4 dioxane is likely a carcinogen. The Environmental Protection Agency states that 1,4 dioxane is dangerous and can cause kidney and liver damage, miscarriage, and cancer.

Dingell said she decided to arrange this meeting because people are legitimately concerned about whether their water is safe, and whether certain wells are potentially threatening the main water supply in the City of Ann Arbor.

Dingell also said that the toxic Gelman plume problem has been going on for 40 years (since it was discovered) and groups, including the City of Ann Arbor, Scio Township, and Ann Arbor Township have been pitted against one another at times by polluters without full transparency.

Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor made remarks that the City of Ann Arbor’s water is tested regularly. Those tests show that the amount of 1,4 dioxane detected in Ann Arbor’s drinking water source has been increasing. Representatives from various districts also were on hand and expressed their concerns.

The panel consisted of the following: State of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel; Assistant Attorney General Danielle Allison-Yokom, of the Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Division of the State of Michigan; Superfund Branch Chief Tim Fisher, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Mike Neller, Director of Redevelopment Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

EPA Superfund Branch Chief Tim Fisher said he was happy to report that they were making progress. He added they a preliminary assessment had been made, followed by the site inspection phase, and sampling had been done to develop their data set. In July they will be presenting a report. He said that preliminary information suggested that it could qualify as a Superfund site. They will be taking additional sampling this summer in residential areas and at wells.

Dana Nessel said that she is working with environmental lawyers and scientists on the legal aspects of this case.

“If you had had to become organic scientists and environmental lawyers, whether you wanted to or not, because of how this impacts the communities here in Washtenaw,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel. “But all I can tell you is that we are working tirelessly on this at our department. Working hand in hand obviously at EAGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy), the EPA, and with Congresswoman Dingell, who you could not have a more tenacious advocate working on your behalf in Washington D.C. And it is not just that. She is willing to knock on anyone’s door at any time of day or night to ensure that her constituents are safe.” 

Michigan’s AG office felt they had to rush through an updated consent judgment after a 2022 Court of Appeals ruling overturned a local judge’s 2021 order to tighten Gelman’s old 2011 cleanup standard of 85 parts per billion (ppb) to 7.2 ppb. Additional activities called for in both recent Consent Judgement orders include installing more wells to monitor the plume(s) and track their mitigation. As pointed out by Ann Arbor Township Trustee Michael Moran, the latest Consent Judgement eliminates key legal protections that were in the 2021 version.

Various states have determined different acceptable levels of 1,4 dioxane in drinking water. Michigan’s determination according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Environmental Contamination Response Activity is 7.2 ppb in which clean-up is required. Concentration levels in Massachusetts are 0.3, in New Hampshire 0.32, and in New York, 1. 

Many Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane (CARD) members were also on hand at the meeting to express their concerns about current cleanup efforts and insufficient monitoring techniques. But some were also hopeful about future efforts and called for more community members to become active.

“Anyone who wants to get involved, learn more about it, go to CARD. That is an organization that has tremendous expertise and a lot of passion,” Kathy Griswold said. “I came in here tonight, oh, I was also on City council for four years, so I know about some of the legal issues. Anyway, I won’t describe that. But I came in here really excited and we need to leave here really excited. Yes, we have opportunities for improvement. We have problems. But we also have a dual path. We have the court that is more immediate. It is not perfect but it is there. And then we have the EPA, which is the long-term strategic solution to this problem. The other thing I want to mention and maybe someone can address it is this plume is more complicated because it is a glacial aquifer, said Kathy Griswold, a member of CARD. And that makes it more complicated.” 

It was also mentioned at the meeting that the University of Michigan and specifically President Santa Ono should take an active role in containing the plume, clean up, and protecting our water supply.

A recent study suggested exposure to dioxane could also come in the form of moist basements close to dioxane-contaminated shallow aquifers. 

Earlier on June 12, Scio Township Commission voted 5 to 1 prohibiting a 47-home development on the basis of Dione plume concerns.

People remain concerned that the 1,4 dioxane will affect the value of properties but are even more concerned that it will affect their health.