Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Ralph Pribble, 651-296-7792 St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking public comment on a proposed plan to clean up contamination related to perfluorochemicals (PFCs) and other contaminants at the closed Washington County Landfill in Lake Elmo, Minn. The public comment period for the proposed plan ends March 15, 2008. The MPCA proposes to construct a new, lined landfill in place of the old, unlined facility. Existing wastes would be excavated in phases, while new lined cells are constructed within the current landfill boundaries. The new cells would be equipped with collection systems for landfill gas and leachate (formed when rain and snowmelt percolate down through waste, picking up pollutants), and then refilled with wastes and covered as the cells are completed. When the project is complete the landfill will be capped. The proposed remedy would cost an estimated $23 million. The 3M Company will provide up to $8 million toward cleanup of the landfill, even though 3M has no legal responsibility for the site, which is managed under the MPCA's Closed Landfill Program. In addition, the MPCA is seeking $15 million in the 2008 legislative session for the cleanup. If funds are available, the MPCA plans to begin work on the site in late 2008 or early 2009. The construction would take three to four years to complete. A public informational meeting on the proposed cleanup will be held on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 p.m., at the Oak Land Junior High School in Lake Elmo. MPCA staff will also be available for a half-hour prior to the meeting to answer questions in an open-house format at the school. The MPCA invites public comment on the proposed plan through March 15th. Comments must be submitted in writing to Shawn Ruotsinoja, MPCA, Remediation Division, 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN 55155-4194. After MPCA staff have reviewed all public comments, the agency will prepare a summary of the comments, explain the rationale for making revisions based on comments received and describe any applicable modifications to the clean up plan. The MPCA commissioner will make a decision on the remedy, which will be outlined in a final decision document. Copies of the remedy feasibility analysis and other documents relating to the site and the proposed cleanup are available for review on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/cleanup/pfc/pfcsites.html, as well as at the MPCA's St. Paul office.