EPA reaches settlements regarding chemical contamination sites

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached two separate settlements involving chemical contamination and regulatory violations.

In Ann Arbor, Gelman Sciences LLC has entered an administrative settlement agreement to address a groundwater contamination plume containing 1,4-dioxane. The plume, which covers approximately 3 to 4 square miles, has migrated into aquifers that supply drinking water. Under the agreement, Gelman Sciences must take steps to slow the plume's spread toward the Huron River, increase monitoring, excavate contaminated soil from its former facility, and conduct a feasibility study for potential remediation. The site was recently added to the Superfund National Priorities List.

Separately, Denka Performance Elastomer has reached a settlement totaling nearly $1 million regarding Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations. The settlement addresses the improper management of chloroprene waste at a neoprene manufacturing facility. Chloroprene is identified as a likely carcinogen that posed health risks to workers and surrounding communities. The enforcement action followed inspections that evaluated waste-management units, facility records, and sampling procedures.