Thursday, December 6, 2001

By TRACY DAVIS
Ann Arbor News

Residents west of Ann Arbor who get their water from wells and live near dioxane-tainted groundwater shouldn't be worried about contamination, say state environmental officials. At least, not yet.

Newly discovered high dioxane levels in a deep aquifer means contamination spread farther from the Pall Life Sciences property in Scio Township than thought possible by environmental officials. But so far it is confined to a deep aquifer untapped by wells, authorities said.

"Sure, I'd have some concern,"said Sybil Kolon, project coordinator for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. "I would not knowingly drink contaminated water, even if it was just a few parts per billion. I can certainly understand the concern of residents."

Scores of monitoring wells scattered throughout Pall's property and surrounding neighborhoods are continuously checking upper aquifers, Kolon said. The company is in the process of cleaning the upper level aquifer.

But she said there are still a few areas in question. At issue, besides the leading edge of the deep aquifer contamination, is an apparent southwesterly migration of dioxane in upper aquifers, Kolon said. She said Pall believes the contamination will be captured by existing wells. She said there is also a "bubble" in the Dupont Circle area, a neighborhood wedged between the I-94-M14 split.

"We're still sorting that out with them," she said. Both areas are below the 85 parts per billion that requires cleanup.

1,4 dioxane is a carcinogenic solvent that was used by Pall, formerly Gelman Sciences Inc., in making medical filters. Wastewater was stored in an unlined lagoon for about two decades before the mid-1980s, when the groundwater contamination was discovered. It was then injected into a deep-well storage facility for a few years.

"For the most part, the contamination is being captured," said Kolon. "We think we've got the plume (in the upper aquifers) fairly well defined."

Residents who live in the Saginaw Hills neighborhood, southwest of Pall, depend on wells for water. But residents there said they were not concerned. One said his well showed no contamination when it was tested in 1990 and he isn't worried about dioxane.

Michael Street resident Marilyn Ratliff said she'd had her well tested several years ago and there was no contamination. A neighborhood organization is supposed to notify residents if anyone discovers contamination in their well, she said.

"We're curious, but we don't have any reason to be alarmed," she said.

The cleanup, which was ordered in July 2000 to be completed in five years, will be the subject of a status hearing at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. Pall is also working on a groundwater model that will help map aquifers and known hot spots.