Groundwater governance in Southeast Michigan: social and political challenges for remediation

Contaminated groundwater plumes are pervasive issues that directly impact local residents. Groundwater contaminant plumes have the potential to impact local drinking water, while also posing risks via environmental exposure. While the path towards remediation from a scientific standpoint may be relatively straightforward, the social and political process of enacting those solutions often present their own difficulties. This presentation investigates one such instance in Washtenaw County, Michigan, where a plume of 1,4 dioxane in the groundwater was discovered in the 1980s. The groundwater plume is mobile, and has been detected in the city's surface water supply and in finished drinking water. Several proposed solutions, including clean-up by the parent company, and seeking EPA superfund status, have not been successful to minimize the plume and the danger it poses to the local community. This study uses ethnographic methods, including qualitative interviews and participation observation at local community meetings, to critically look at the social and political stakeholders connected to this specific instance of groundwater contamination. By investigating a hyperlocal case of groundwater governance, this research works to understand government rationale and decision-making regarding water safety concerns in Southeast Michigan. Ultimately, this study provides an example of what social science methods can offer to strengthen traditional environmental groundwater remediation projects.