Will Tittabawassee Floodwaters Go Toxic?
On May 19, the National Weather Service advised people living near the Tittabawassee River in Michigan to seek higher ground immediately. The region was in the midst of what meteorologists were calling a “500-year-flood,” resulting in a catastrophic failure of the Edenville Dam. Despite years of warnings from regulators that the dam could rupture, its owners failed to make changes to reinforce the structure and increase spillway capacity. By the next day, the river had risen to a record-high 34.4 feet in the city of Midland.
Any flood of this magnitude is a tragedy, but the situation in Midland is worse: The city is home to the world headquarters of Dow Chemical Company, including a vast complex that has produced a range of toxic chemicals, including Agent Orange and mustard gas. Dow has a tarnished history in the area, responsible for contaminating the Tittabawassee River with dioxins and violating the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The area is now a Superfund site as a result.
Regulators have accused Dow of providing false information to the public, such as a newsletter stating that few negative health effects were associated with dioxin …
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