The Lingering Shadow: Ann Arbor's Battle for Superfund Status, One Dioxane Plume at a Time

It’s a story we’ve heard far too often, hasn't it? A community, united in its worry, fighting tooth and nail against an invisible, insidious threat — and the slow, agonizing pace of bureaucracy. For Ann Arbor, that threat wears the unassuming name of 1,4-dioxane, a nasty little chemical lurking beneath the surface, a legacy of the former Gelman Sciences plant. And honestly, the frustration is palpable, building to a crescendo as residents and officials alike watch, helplessly it seems, as the promised federal intervention remains just that: a promise, elusive and frustratingly slow.

You see, for years now, the battle against this dioxane plume has been a local one, largely. Michigan has, to its credit, poured millions upon millions into cleanup efforts, trying to contain what's become a vast, unwelcome underground river of contamination. But everyone knows, truly, that this is a problem too big, too complex, for state resources alone. Enter the Superfund program, the EPA's big gun for cleaning up the nation's most hazardous sites. It's meant to be the cavalry, the ultimate assurance, but here in Ann Arbor, that cavalry seems to be moving at a glacial crawl, even by governmental standards. Residents, and heck, even the county’s health officer, are growing increasingly vocal about the foot-dragging.

Just consider the sheer, agonizing wait. We're talking about a chemical that, at even tiny levels, can pose serious health risks. It’s a probable human carcinogen, mind you, and it has already seeped into residential wells, threatened our water supply, and generally just wreaked havoc on peace of mind for decades. The community, for its part, has been relentless, forming advocacy groups, attending meetings, pleading their case. They’ve gone through legal battles, navigated complex scientific reports, and consistently kept the pressure on. Yet, despite all this collective effort, despite the very real urgency, the EPA’s formal proposal to list the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) – that crucial step for Superfund status – still hasn't materialized.

It’s a bizarre dance, in a way. The EPA has been conducting what they call a “remedial investigation and feasibility study” — essentially, figuring out the scope of the problem and how best to tackle it. That’s all well and good, necessary even. But the timeline? It stretches out, seemingly without end. A draft report, initially expected last year, is now pushed into next year, maybe even later. And each delay, each revised deadline, only fuels the exasperation. What are we waiting for, precisely? Another crisis? More widespread contamination?

Local officials, bless their hearts, are doing everything they can. They're writing letters, making calls, trying to cut through the bureaucratic fog. Washtenaw County’s Board of Commissioners even passed a resolution urging the EPA to pick up the pace, for once. They understand, as anyone living here does, that Superfund status isn't just a label; it’s access to federal funding, federal expertise, and, perhaps most importantly, a federal commitment to a permanent, comprehensive solution. It’s the difference between an ongoing, fragmented cleanup and a truly unified, well-resourced effort to reclaim the land and protect the people.

So, where do we stand? In a holding pattern, unfortunately. The dioxane, it certainly isn’t waiting. It continues its slow, steady migration. And the people of Ann Arbor? They continue to wait, to advocate, to hope that common sense and a sense of urgency will finally prevail, pushing the powers that be to grant this long-suffering community the Superfund status it so desperately needs and, frankly, deserves.