Dow has begun cleanup and recovery at its Midland, Michigan,
chemical complex, following flooding from rain and dam failures.
On May 19, heavy rains caused the Tittabawassee River to
crest above flood stage. That evening, two dams ruptured, contributing to
flooding in the region. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of
emergency for Midland County, and more than 10,000 residents evacuated.
Dow’s manufacturing facility sits on the eastern bank of the
Tittabawassee. The facility once made many Dow products, but due to
restructuring and divestitures over the years, the company only makes silicones
there now.
Other firms operate several former Dow plants on the site.
For example, Corteva makes agrochemicals there, DuPont has a methylcellulose
plant, Trinseo has latex and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene units, and SK
Saran produces specialty plastics.
Dow began shutting down operations at the facility even
before the breach of the two dams. The day after the flooding, Dow acknowledged
that “there were flood waters commingling with on-site containment ponds.” Its
headquarters, at a separate Midland location, wasn’t impacted by the event, the
company says.
In a May 22 appearance on the business news channel CNBC,
Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said the containment ponds hold brine that the site uses
for groundwater remediation and pose no chemical hazards. “To our knowledge,
there’s nothing that’s been released,” he said.
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