Dow Chemical and state and federal environmental regulators have reached a tentative agreement on how to clean up the Saginaw and Tittabawassee Rivers.
Under the agreement, Dow would be responsible for cleaning up high-use properties along the rivers, as well as removing contaminated sediment and other pollutants.
According to Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bob McCann, the agreement creates a clear path forward.
"It really sets some concrete details in place that are going to move this process forward," said McCann. "And it's going to involve, obviously, still a number of years worth of work. But we now have identified what needs to be done, how we're going to do it and how this process should move forward."
McCann said work would begin near the Dow Facility in Midland, and make its way downstream, eventually reaching the Saginaw Bay.
Public comment on the agreement is open through November 17 - after which the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan DEQ will decide whether or not to sign the agreement.
On The Web:
EPA Saginaw River Cleanup Website: http://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/dowchemical/
