The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether a toxic plume in the Ann Arbor area qualifies for a federal Superfund cleanup.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The EPA's regional administrator announced the update in letters Wednesday to leaders in Washtenaw County's Scio Township and Ann Arbor Township as well as the Sierra Club's Huron Valley Group and others.
The townships and the chapter of the Sierra Club submitted a petition to the EPA in November seeking Superfund status.
Gelman Sciences is responsible for the toxic chemical plume of 1,4-dioxane that's been slowly spreading through the area's groundwater for decades, contaminating much of Ann Arbor's west side and Scio Township. It poses long-term threats to the city's water supply from the Huron River.