In this week’s "Issues of the Environment," WEMU’s David Fair talks to Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner Evan Pratt about the steps being taken after recent testing revealed much higher levels of the chemical in the waters in Ann Arbor’s West Park.
Overview The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) recently tested water in a branch of Allen Creek that runs underground through Ann Arbor’s West Park.
The test results are concerning because they may indicate that dioxane is migrating farther from the original source of the pollution.
It is likely that the plume of dioxane laced groundwater and stormwater is now flowing under neighborhoods in western Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County and inching closer to Barton Pond on the Huron River, the city’s main drinking water source.
The Washtenaw County Office of the Water Resources Commissioner is required under a permit from the MDEQ to keep stormwater free of chemical contaminants, including dioxane, unless an exception is obtained.
Evan Pratt, Water Resources Commissioner for Washtenaw County, maintains that there is not a danger to the public at this time.
Pratt says that, although contact with water vapor containing dioxane is hazardous, it is unlikely that residents of Ann Arbor living near West Park are being exposed via basement flooding at this time.
Currently, Washtenaw County is a party in a lawsuit against Danaher Corp, joined by the city of Ann Arbor, the Huron River Watershed Council, and the state of Michigan.
Per Pratt’s request, the MDEQ will be conducting more frequent testing of water in West Park and other areas of concern throughout the expected boundaries of the dioxane plume.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter — David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU.