Search
Central Bi-Products emitted higher levels of hydrogen sulfide than is allowed, causing odor complaints in the community of Long Prairie and resulting in a $3 million fine. Central Bi-Products has agreed to spend a minimum of $4.4 million on a supplemental environmental project that will improve its wastewater treatment.
The Lake Allie wastewater treatment facility will pay more than $13,000 in fines and follow a corrective action plan for violating its wastewater permit in Buffalo Lake, Minn.
Cities fined over $12,000 apiece for municipal wastewater violations
Central Specialties Inc., based in Alexandria, violated several air permit conditions between 2021 and 2023 for its mobile hot-mix asphalt facility stationed at various locations around the state. Violations included failing to properly maintain pollution control equipment and inadequate recordkeeping and reporting.
Heartland Corn Products failed emission stack tests in November 2021 and February 2022 for volatile organic compounds and particulates at its ethanol production facility in Winthrop, Minn.
From 2023-2025, Northshore Mining released recycled water to the ground seven times and water relating to mining processes four times. Its largest unpermitted release was nearly 400,000 gallons of recycled water. Northshore Mining has documented equipment failure as the reason for the 11 releases.
The MPCA fined Cabinetworks Group’s Waconia facility, Wood Products, $11,520 for violations of its air permit.
BNSF Railway Company paid a fine of $20,000 for industrial stormwater and wastewater permit violations at its Willmar facility.
MPCA investigation shows the city violated its wastewater permit in Freeborn County from April 2021 to April 2023.
The MPCA fined West Fraser Forest Products $24,750 for exceeding the total amount of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) allowed by the air permit for the company’s Solway facility from January 2024 to January 2025.
Tailings basin piping leaked wastewater and about 11,500 cubic feet of tailings materials over nearly half an acre, including a nearby wetland in May 2023 due to inadequate operation and maintenance of the tailings basin pipeline at the company’s facility in Virginia, Minn.
DENCO II LLC failed a stack test in April, 2024, that showed that the facility exceeded its permit limit for particulate matter by more than 170%.
Wastewater treatment plant in Elk River paid a $15,000 fine for consistently discharging fecal coliform and phosphorus into nearby Tibbets Brook.
Austin's municipal wastewater treatment plant discharged ammonia and fecal coliform over permitted limits into the Cedar River.
Unauthorized releases of untreated wastewater in October 2024 and January and February 2025, as well as failure to notify the Minnesota Duty Officer in a timely manner.
Agropur Inc., doing business as Le Sueur Cheese Company, land applied too much industrial byproduct, resulting in rates of nitrogen and phosphorus that exceeded the allowed limits by more than 10 percent. The violations occurred in 2022, near its cheese production facility in Le Sueur, Minnesota.
Failed to properly operate its wastewater treatment facility for the River Park housing development in Oronoco, Minnesota, from Aug.-Dec 2023 before connecting to the newly constructed Oronoco wastewater treatment plant.
The Meadows Mobile Home Park discharged untreated sewage to the ground in two separate violations in 2025.
Lange Agricultural Systems paid $12,511 for violations of both its hazardous waste and industrial wastewater permits.
Young Life Castaway Club violated several wastewater regulations, mainly modifying wastewater treatment systems without approval, between 2019 and 2022 at its youth and family camp on Pelican Lake, just south of Detroit Lakes. These violations carry serious risks of harm to the environment.