EPA designates Gelman plume as Superfund site

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated the Gelman Sciences site and associated 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume in Ann Arbor and Scio Township as a Superfund site on the National Priorities List, a designation that directs additional federal resources and oversight toward addressing the long-standing contamination.

The plume originated from the former Gelman Sciences manufacturing facility on Wagner Road, where the industrial solvent 1,4-dioxane was disposed of onsite from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. The contamination was discovered offsite in the mid-1980s and has since spread through groundwater beneath portions of western Ann Arbor and Scio Township.

The plume currently extends several miles and is monitored through an extensive network of monitoring wells that track groundwater levels and concentrations of 1,4-dioxane.

“Thank you to the EPA for following the law and science and to Representative Debbie Dingell for her tireless efforts on behalf of our community,” said Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor. “Ann Arbor has been fighting successfully for decades to protect our drinking water. I’m grateful now to have the federal government engaged and on our side and working with us to keep our water safe for generations to come.”

The EPA’s National Priorities List identifies sites across the United States where hazardous substances pose significant threats to human health or the environment and where long-term cleanup is needed.

The City of Ann Arbor continues to monitor the plume and its drinking water sources. The city’s water treatment system and monitoring programs test regularly for 1,4-dioxane and other contaminants to ensure that the city’s drinking water remains safe. Testing results are regularly posted on a2gov.org.

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Media Contact: 

Steve Kilar, Communications Director, skilar@a2gov.org