After a decades-long push, the Gelman dioxane plume moving slowly in the groundwater under Ann Arbor has been added to the Superfund National Priorities List.
The 1,4-dioxane contamination has been around for decades. It originated from an industrial solvent Gelman Sciences LLC dumped via its wastewater at a location in Scio Township, west of Ann Arbor.
“While this designation is an important step forward, our work is far from finished,” Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said in a statement Thursday morning. “I will continue working with the EPA, state and local partners, and the community to ensure the cleanup is transparent, drinking water is safe, and public health is protected,” she added.
The designation means there will be federal funding and long-term planning for the cleanup effort, along with coordinated technical assistance with state and local agencies.
Ann Arbor Water, the city department that manages the municipal drinking water, has been monitoring the plume and officials have expressed concern that the plume could migrate in a way that impacts the city water system. More than 120 residential drinking water wells contaminated by the plume have been paved over and residents were hooked up to municipal water.
Not much is known about how the chemical impacts human health, but studies on animals show it can cause liver and kidney damage.
Despite a court order in 1992 ordering the cleanup, the roughly three-square-mile plume remains. The state asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate the plume a Superfund site in 2021.
“Strong advocacy and partnership have brought us to this point, and we look forward to continuing our work with the community and the EPA to ensure residents are protected,” Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Director Phil Roos said in a statement.
This story will be updated.
