The dredged silt contains highly toxic dioxin that is known to pose a threat to our health. The proposed Army Corps of Engineers site was not designed for these highly toxic materials. The pit is being constructed in a floodplain, without a liner, open to the elements, and in the backyards of residents who will suffer the consequences. Dow Chemical will not be required to maintain the site, or to fix it if anything goes wrong, even though it is Dow's dioxin.
Instead we should be using existing, fully licensed and approved landfills with excess capacity to take this toxic waste. They are already built, lined and licensed. We believe it is Dow's responsibility to clean up the contaminated soils, and to protect the community from future costs associated with the contamination.
Saginaw County Commissioners were misled about the purpose of this site. Now the Commissioners need to take action to find a safe site for the dredged materials from the river and stop construction on the pit.
