CONTACT: Kären Thompson, (312) 353-8547, thompson.karen@epa.

gov

F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E No. 07-OPA118

EPA, DOW REACH AGREEMENT FOR DIOXIN CLEANUP

CHICAGO (July 13, 2007) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has
reached agreement with Dow Chemical Co. to clean up three dioxin-contaminated hot
spots on the Tittabawassee River downstream of its Midland, Mich., facility. On June 27
EPA required that terms of three administrative consent orders for the cleanup be
finalized before Friday, July 13.

“This settlement puts Dow on track to get priority work in these areas completed this
year and sets the stage for additional cleanup downriver,” said EPA Region 5
Administrator Mary A. Gade. “This cleanup will make Michigan a safer, healthier place to
live.”

The EPA-ordered corrective action will include three segments, called reaches, of the
river between Imerman Park in Saginaw Township and Midland’s Tridge:

• Reach D includes a discharge channel containing approximately 15,000 cubic

yards of dioxin-contaminated sediment. The channel goes upstream from the
Dow Dam on plant property and is bounded by old sheet piling along the
northeast and east banks of the Tittabawassee River. Dow had historically
used this channel to dispose of dioxin-contaminated wastes. Dow will isolate
this area from the river and remove the dioxin-contaminated sediment.

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• Reach J-K is located 3.6 miles downstream of the confluence of the

Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers. The corrective action will address
contamination on the levee adjacent to the riverbank and in the flood plain
terraces, including wetlands subject to sediment deposition during floods.
Dow will remove approximately 32,000 cubic yards of levee deposits, the
riverbank will be stabilized, sediment deposits removed and disposed of and
bank areas will be revegetated with native plants. In addition, an area of
dioxin-contaminated soil in the floodplain will be capped and a wooded
wetland area will be fenced off as an interim measure.

• Reach O is a sediment deposit about 6 miles downstream of the confluence

of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers. It is adjacent to property owned
by Dow. Dow will isolate this area from the river and remove approximately
7,000 cubic yards of sediment.

The Dow facility is a 1,900-acre chemical manufacturing plant located in Midland, Mich.
All of the contaminated sediment removed during the cleanup will be disposed of in the
Salzburg Road Landfill, a hazardous-waste landfill located on the Dow property.

Past waste disposal practices, fugitive emissions and incineration at Dow have resulted
in on- and off-site contamination. Dioxins and furans, chlorobenzenes, heavy metals
and other materials were byproducts from the manufacture of chlorine-based products
and other chemicals.

Dioxins are a family of chemicals that have been linked to some forms of cancer,
reproductive problems and weakened immune systems.

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