For immediate release: April 5, 2010
Contact: Dan Olson, 218-846-8108
Detroit Lakes, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is inviting public comment on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) prepared for a proposed expansion of the Mar-Kit sanitary landfill east of Hallock in Kittson County. The comment period ends May 5, 2010. A new draft permit for the facility will also be put on public notice sometime in April.
The proposed project would involve excavating older, unlined portions of the landfill and moving the waste to newly created lined areas to reduce the possibility of contaminants reaching groundwater. The project would then redevelop the previously unlined areas to ultimately provide an additional 40 years of capacity.
To date, the Mar-Kit landfill has not been shown to be a significant source of groundwater contamination and is not known to have any pollutant migration outside the site’s boundaries. Regional groundwater flow at the landfill is to the west-southwest.
The EAW is a preliminary environmental review of how a proposed project could potentially affect the environment. The EAW also helps the MPCA determine if an Environmental Impact Statement, a more in-depth environmental review is needed.
Comments on the Mar-Kit Landfill EAW should be submitted in writing by 4:30 p.m., May 5, 2010, to William Lynott, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 or by fax to 651-297-2343. Comments arriving after this time will not be considered.
Copies of the EAW are available for review on the web at www.pca.state.mn.us/news/eaw/index.html, the MPCA Detroit Lakes office at 714 Lake Avenue, Suite 220, and the MPCA St. Paul office at 520 Lafayette Rd. North.
To request a paper copy of the EAW from the MPCA, call Mary Osborn at 651-757-2101. Other telephone inquiries related to this project should be directed to William Lynott at 651-757-2542, or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864.
The MPCA Solid Waste Permit for this project is expected to be placed on public notice during the week of April 12, 2010. Inquiries regarding this permit and its release for public comment should be directed to Kathy Holland-Hanson at 218-846-8116.
Additional information on the environmental review process is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/programs/envr_p.html.
