EPA To Begin Sediment Cleanup of Segment 7 of the Tittabwassee River

Sediment cleanup will begin this summer near Green Point Island in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge on the Tittabawassee River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been cleaning up dioxin-contaminated sediment and floodplain soil in and along the Tittabawassee River since 2007, generally working from upstream to downstream. This year, cleanup work will be in the lower part of the river in an area called Segment 7. The EPA is working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Dow Chemical Company.

The EPA finalized its cleanup plan in 2019 for Segments 6 and 7, the last stretches of the Tittabawassee River.

The EPA has two main goals for these cleanups. The first is to limit the spread of dioxin contaminated riverbank soil and sediment to reduce dioxin levels farther downstream. The second will help keep dioxin from building up in fish in the Tittabawassee River.

Typically, work in Segment 6 would be done earlier than Segment 7, but high-water conditions in the bay and other factors are influencing the schedule. Capping is expected to begin the week of August 10. Dow’s contractors will be working typically from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. They are expected to be completed by September, weather permitting. Safety measures will be in place throughout the project.