On May 4, 2009, Pall Life Sciences (PLS) submitted a new "Comprehensive Proposal to Modify Cleanup Program" that will drastically increase how much 1,4-dioxane it will leave in the groundwater at the Pall/Gelman contamination site.
The MDEQ (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) has only until June 15, 2009, to respond to the PLS proposal. To comply with the compressed court ordered schedule, the MDEQ established a Public Comment Period (5/11/2009-6/8/2009) to take comments from the public on the PLS proposal. Also, the MDEQ will hold a Public Meeting on May 27, 2009, where the public can ask questions and make comments in person.
Because the far reaching changes in the PLS proposal could result in further damage to area water supplies, CARD decided to host its own meeting where the public can learn about the new PLS plan and how its loosened cleanup criteria could affect area water resources:
CARD (Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane)
Annual Update - Public Meeting
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 7-9 pm
Vogel Room, 1819 S Wagner Rd, Ann Arbor
AGENDA
• Introduction to CARD - History, membership, joining
• Brief history of the site and status of cleanup extractions treatment and discharges
• Summary of the PALL’s Comprehensive Proposal to Modify Cleanup Program
• Questions & Answers
Current Concerns:
PLS PROPOSES TO ALLOW EVEN MORE DIOXANE TO SPREAD UNREMEDIATED.
Some of this 1,4-dioxane may be headed northeast to Barton Pond where Ann Arbor gets 80% of its water.
PLS PROPOSES TO TERMINATE CLEANUP AT HIGHER DIOXANE LEVELS.
High levels of dioxane may contaminate more water supplies to the north and west as groundwater flow conditions revert back to natural patterns after the purging stops.
PLS PROPOSES TO REDUCE FREQUENCY OF GROUNDWATER SAMPLING.
Infrequent sampling could miss slugs of dioxane as they move through the groundwater. Annual sampling of static water levels would mask seasonal effects needed for effective flow modeling.
PLS PROPOSES TO REDUCE PURGE RATES BY ONE THIRD.
Less purging means more dioxane will escape to spread to new areas.
The Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane (CARD) is a partnership of local governments and citizens that develops policies and strategies to address the problems associated with Pall/Gelman 1,4-dioxane contamination.
Scio Residents for Safe Water (SRSW) is a member of CARD.
Information Contacts:
Michael Gebhard, Washtenaw County Environmental Health Division, 734-222-3855, or Email at gebhardm@ewashtenaw.org
Matt Naud, City of Ann Arbor, Systems Planning, 734-794-6430 x43712 , or Email at MNaud@a2gov.org
Roger Rayle, Scio Residents for Safe Water, PO Box 97, Dexter, MI 48130, 734-761-8932 or Email at rmrayle@gmail.com
Sybil Kolon, MDEQ Remediation and Redevelopment Division, 517-780-7937, or Email at kolons@michigan.gov.
Information Links:
CARD (Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane) - Official local government/citizen stakeholder group Pall-Gelman site
1,4-Dioxane Wiki Website - collaborative postings about Pall/Gelman Dioxane Site
SRSW home website - mostly links to more info
SRSW Google Group website - most recent Powerpoint presentations, Google Earth mashups, and sampling data
Public Participation:
Use hash tag #A2CARD to follow/comment/ask questions on Twitter
Search wguru on Ustream.tv for possible live streaming of meetings