Morgan Applauds EPA Action to Add Gelman Plume to National Superfund List
Federal designation opens the path to stronger cleanup and accountability after decades of contamination threatening regional drinking water
Public officials sit together at the joint working session of the Washtenaw county board of commissioners, city of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor township and Scio township on June 6, 2019.
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 12, 2026 — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially added the Gelman Sciences Inc. site to the Superfund National Priorities List, a major milestone after decades of advocacy to stop the spreading of 1,4-dioxane contamination threatening regional groundwater and drinking water.
“For more than 40 years, families in Washtenaw County have been told to wait while a corporation used every legal maneuver available to delay cleaning up their pollution,” said state Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor). “All the while, a dangerous plume continued spreading through our groundwater toward our drinking water supply. Our community is done with the stalling and legal maneuvering. Today’s Superfund designation is a turning point. The federal government now has the authority and resources to finally hold this polluter accountable and protect our water.”
The designation gives the federal government expanded authority and resources to address the Gelman 1,4-dioxane plume, which has migrated through regional groundwater for more than 40 years and continues moving toward the Huron River and Ann Arbor’s primary drinking water intake. Cleanup is critical to protecting the region’s water supply.
The push for Superfund status followed years of advocacy and coordination among local, state and federal leaders. While serving as Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, Morgan convened Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Scio Township, and Washtenaw County in partnership with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell to unite the region behind a call for federal intervention, bringing the four governments together for the first time in a coordinated effort to pursue Superfund designation. That unified effort helped build the momentum that led to today’s decision.
Morgan credited Dingell for her leadership in Washington.
“We would not be here without the relentless leadership of Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who never stopped fighting to make sure Washington heard our community,” Morgan said. “I’m also grateful to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and the leadership at the EPA for recognizing the urgency of this crisis. This victory belongs to the residents, scientists, advocates, and local leaders who refused to give up.”
With the site now on the National Priorities List, the EPA will lead remediation. The Superfund program allows the federal government to compel responsible parties to perform or pay for the cleanup, or carry out the work using federal funds and pursue reimbursement from the polluter.
“Clean drinking water is not negotiable,” Morgan added. “Our community organized, spoke up, and refused to give up. Today we are one step closer to the real cleanup our community deserves and protecting our water for generations to come.”
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