Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media Contact: Dan McLean, (651) 297-1607 Technical Contact: Jean Hanson, (651) 296-7390 St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has awarded Ames Construction Inc. a $5.2 million contract to construct a system to capture and burn methane and other gases generated at the East Bethel Landfill in Anoka County. Known as active-gas extraction, the system will pull methane gas from the landfill with a vacuum and burn it. Equipment will be moved to the site the week of March 6. If the ground is free of frost, nearby residents should expect to see trucks hauling dirt when work to replace the landfill's current cover and installation of the gas extraction system begins March 13. The contractor will comply with requirements of a stormwater permit, which includes the installation of silt fencing at the site. Work is scheduled to be completed by the winter of 2006. Methane gas has been detected at the East Bethel Landfill. Methane and other landfill gases are produced from the breakdown of waste. Methane is a colorless and odorless gas known to move sideways out of a covered landfill and can be explosive in a confined space like a basement. East Bethel Landfill is part of the Closed Landfill Program. Under this program, the MPCA assumes responsibility for long-term care and maintenance of the site including monitoring of the ground water, adjacent wetland, and landfill gas at the site. More information about this program is available on the MPCA Web site at /cleanup/closedlandfills.html.