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Momentum toward protecting Minnesotans from PFAS

Worker in hard hat and gloves collects water sample.

State government agencies, in collaboration with local partners, are leading trailblazing work to protect Minnesotans from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution.

In Minnesota, PFAS contamination was first measured in the eastern Twin Cities in the early 2000s. Since then, PFAS have been detected in water, air, soil, and fish across Minnesota. PFAS are in air emissions from industrial facilities, wastewater from industrial and municipal sources, soil and water surrounding firefighting training sites, groundwater surrounding landfills, and are sometimes found with no obvious source at all.

Two years ago this month, Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Department of Health (MDH), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Department of Agriculture (MDA) launched a strategic, coordinated approach to protecting families and communities from PFAS. The plan is called the PFAS Blueprint. It takes a three-pronged approach:

  • Prevent PFAS pollution wherever possible.
  • Manage PFAS pollution when prevention is not feasible or pollution has already occurred.
  • Clean up PFAS pollution at contaminated sites.

This is challenging work, and much more lies ahead, but great progress has been made to-date despite the complexity of the problem and limited resources to address it. On this second anniversary of the PFAS Blueprint, here is a look at some accomplishments made in the lead up to and since its launch.

Prevent

Pollution prevention is always the best option, especially for something as long-lasting and consequential as PFAS. While PFAS may be best known for their role in products like non-stick cookware and stain-resistant carpeting, they are found in thousands of other products and used in countless industrial processes, like metal plating and refining. Finding safer alternatives to PFAS is the exciting frontier of protecting communities from them. Minnesota is engaged in efforts to identify PFAS upstream and reduce emissions at the source.

Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), MPCA is working with the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) to help wastewater treatment plants trace PFAS at their facilities to their source, and offer to assist those sources with safer alternatives to PFAS.

MPCA received an appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature to develop tools for wastewater treatment plants and solid waste facilities to reduce incoming PFAS. The first project, an inventory of PFAS sources to conduit facilities, is complete.

A new series of MPCA reports looks at how various industries use PFAS, with an aim to identify pollution risks and prevention opportunities. The first report looks at metal plating and finishing.

The PFAS Blueprint calls for limits on nonessential PFAS use. Doing so requires legislative action.

In 2021, the Legislature approved a ban on PFAS in food packaging. There are several bills before the current Legislature to limit other nonessential use of PFAS. Should they become law, these restrictions would limit potentially harmful PFAS from entering homes, the environment, and ultimately reducing risk of human exposure.

Manage

Managing PFAS pollution includes finding it and improving our understanding of it.

To date, the state has tested for PFAS at 854 of Minnesota’s 965 public water supplies, 101 closed landfills, seven compost sites, fish in over 185 water bodies, and even ambient air at four sites across the state. PFAS monitoring in the ambient groundwater network and at PFAS remediation sites is also ongoing. In the East Metro area, over 3,400 private and non-community wells have also been tested, as well as ecological species.

With PFAS levels being measured in parts per trillion, every sample for PFAS must be taken with great care and tested in highly specialized laboratories as the science of detecting PFAS tries to catch up with its widespread use. MDH’s Public Health Laboratory has been a national leader in this regard.

The PFAS Monitoring Plan is a current effort to further understand PFAS discharges around the state. MPCA is working with over 400 industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, solid and hazardous waste facilities, and regional airports to monitor for PFAS at their locations. Sampling has already begun at some facilities.

There are three goals of the PFAS Monitoring Plan: First, to gather Minnesota-specific information for effective PFAS pollution prevention policies and practices; second, to identify areas of particular concern that need action, such as a previously unknown PFAS hotspot; and third, to gather data that galvanizes support for PFAS pollution prevention. Information gathered through the monitoring plan will be invaluable for protecting Minnesotans from PFAS.

Detecting PFAS in so many places and forms is difficult work. Determining what to do with the data is another step entirely. How do we know when a level of PFAS is concerning? When is bottled water or clean up required? The State of Minnesota has developed guidelines that try to answer those questions for several types of PFAS in water, air, fish, and soil.

Health advisories are issued accordingly. The guidelines are under constant review as our understanding of PFAS and their impact on human health evolves.

Finally, new site-specific criteria for certain types of PFAS in Bde Maka Ska, Lake Elmo, other Washington County surface waters, and Pool 2 of the Mississippi river will allow for more protective regulations for those previously impaired waters.

Clean up

When PFAS are detected and further action is needed, local authorities are informed when appropriate, the source of the pollution is investigated, and clean up begins. Clean up, which includes mitigation and remediation measures, might include actions like stopping the source, providing bottled water, installing filtration systems, removing contaminated soil, and connecting a community to a different water supply. Clean up projects are costly and can require years to complete.

In addition to monitoring and possible remediation work at 98 closed landfills, PFAS clean up has concluded or is underway for at least 15 sites in Minnesota directly affecting at least 25 municipalities.

Four sites in the East Metro are due to PFAS pollution from 3M in the area dating back decades. Mitigation and remediation work there is funded through the 3M Settlement.

The first priority of the 3M Settlement is to ensure safe and sustainable drinking water. This is being achieved through extensive testing, filtration systems, and new water treatment facilities. As part of this work, Minnesota is the first state government to use new technology to remove PFAS from ground and surface water.

The second priority is to enhance aquatic resources, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreational opportunities in the East Metro, or downstream of the area on the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. Planning is underway for projects now.

Far from simply being an East Metro problem, at least 11 other PFAS remediation sites are found across Minnesota. Each site requires a specialized response.

With additional sites under investigation and the EPA considering more protective National Primary Drinking Water Regulations related to PFAS, this list is certain to expand.

Based on this experience and more, the MPCA is developing guidance for PFAS sampling and cleanup. A final document is currently expected in fall 2023. The guidance will provide detailed directions for all stages of the cleanup process, including considerations for risk communications, environmental justice, and program-specific needs.

DNR, MDH, and MPCA have learned a great deal about responding to and cleaning up PFAS pollution over the years. The most important lesson is that PFAS pollution prevention must be the priority. While significant improvements can be made through remediation, Minnesota cannot clean up our way out of the PFAS problem.

Looking ahead

State agencies thank dedicated staff and partners from all sectors across Minnesota for making these accomplishments possible.

More hard work lies ahead to protect Minnesotans from PFAS. Additional resources are required to build on progress to-date and keep up with local government and business needs, prevention opportunities, new contamination sites, the latest research, and federal regulations. The Governor’s Budget request includes a total of $45.57 million over two years for projects related to the PFAS Blueprint. They include:

These budget items, proposed bans on nonessential PFAS uses, and more collaboration across government and businesses will help set the stage for a promising next chapter of protecting Minnesotans from PFAS.

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