The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today released its environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) for a new facility proposed by Vanguard Organics, LLC that will process organic materials through anaerobic digesters near Litchfield. The proposed facility is expected to process up to 115,000 tons of organic wastes per year. That waste will come from manure from the Wagner Dairy Farm as well as food waste from other sources, which will be converted into renewable natural gas, organic fertilizer, and biosolids for animal bedding. The public is invited to comment on the EAW through July 10, 2025.
The facility will be built within a leased area on the Wagner Dairy Farm in Forest City Township. The new facility will include two anaerobic digesters, storage buildings, and other necessary infrastructure.
The MPCA invites the public to comment on the EAW. Those who wish to comment should consider the EAW’s accuracy, potential impacts from the project that warrant further investigation, or the need for an environmental impact statement. The EAW reviewed potential impacts to air, local geology, soils, groundwater, surface water, and other potential environmental impacts. Some key findings include:
- The project will use 606,265 gallons of groundwater annually with the potential for using 1.5 million gallons.
- The project will produce organic fertilizer and biosolids that will be used by Wagner Dairy or other local farms for use as animal bedding, topsoil, etc. on a continuous basis.
- The project will produce renewable natural gas that will be compressed and sent to a pipeline (to be constructed) at the proposed gas interface station. This pipeline is not currently available for review.
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may be present in materials received by the facility. The amount of PFAS present in the facility’s produced output waste streams depends on the amount of PFAS in the organic materials received. The processes at the facility do not add PFAS to the end products.
Vanguard Organics anticipates construction of the project will begin in summer 2025 and last until spring/summer 2026. The facility could be operational by late summer/fall 2026.
The public can review the draft EAW and submit public comments by visiting the Smart Comment portal on the MPCA website or by mail to:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
c/o Audrey Maass
520 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
After the public comment period is complete, the agency will review all comments and determine whether additional environmental review will be necessary. If the agency determines there is no need for additional environmental review, the project will proceed through permitting.