NEWS
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Think Ann Arbor seems like a pretty clean place to live? Think again. A plume of 1,4 dioxane, an industrial chemical classified as a "probable human carcinogen" by the EPA has already forced the City of Ann Arbor to close one well formerly used for drinking water as it slowly moves to the northeast, in the direction of the Huron River. Most of the city of Ann Arbor's drinking water comes from the Huron. In the news today - the city has filed a lawsuit against the company to help pay for the cost of a new, replacement well. Here's an excerpt from the story:" ... At issue is contamination stemming from old disposal methods of wastewater that contained dioxane. The manmade industrial solvent was used by the company, formerly Gelman Sciences Inc., to make medical filters at its Wagner Road facility.
From the mid-1960s until the mid-80s, wastewater that contained dioxane was disposed of by spraying it over the facility's Wagner Road lawns and by storing it in unlined lagoons. In 1984, dioxane was discovered in a nearby lake by a University of Michigan graduate student.
The city stopped using its municipal well on Ann Arbor's west side, the Montgomery well, after levels of dioxane turned up in routine tests in 2001.
City officials said again on Tuesday they are confident the water city residents are drinking and using is safe and free of dioxane.
The Montgomery well was primarily used during winter months to improve the processing of icy river water. Some 80 percent of the city's water comes from the Huron. Though the well supplied only 5 percent of city water, it needs to be replaced, city officials say. ..."
> AANews: "Suit seeks damages for Pall pollution"
Posted by Rob at 3:40 PM
