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Sites in Reuse in Minnesota
Boise Cascade/Onan Corp./Medtronics, Inc.
The Boise Cascade/Onan Corp./Medtronics, Inc., Superfund site covers 183 acres in Fridley, Minnesota. Beginning in 1921, the National Pole and Treating Company, followed by the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company, treated wood on the property using creosote and pentachlorophenol. All operations ended in 1961. In 1964, the companies were purchased and merged into the Boise Cascade Company. Soon after, the Onan Corporation bought 133 acres of the Boise Cascade property, and Medtronics Corporation bought the remaining 50 acres. The new owners built commercial and manufacturing facilities on their property. In 1979, Onan and Medtronics uncovered large quantities of creosote from past treatment operations. EPA detected high levels of organics, including creosote and phenols in ground water monitoring wells, sediments, and soils. In 1984, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. Contaminated soil was excavated and filled in with clean soil, ground water was pumped and treated, and a fence was built around the site. Air and surface water in the site's vicinity is being monitored. Cleanup was completed at both properties in 1986. The Cummins Power Generation Group, a subsidiary of the Onan Corporation, and the Medtronics Corporation still operate on the site and together employ 4,000 people.
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General Mills/Henkel
A private investment group purchased the General Mills/Henkel Superfund site and converted it into a business incubator enterprise development program that is successfully supporting and nurturing the growth of nearly 100 start-up businesses. For more than 45 years, General Mills operated a technical research facility on the 6.5 acre site in downtown Minneapolis, and discharged over 1,000 gallons of laboratory solvents each year directly into an on-site pit. The chemicals leached into the soil and ground water and contaminated the entire site. In 1984, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. After the site was listed, EPA delegated Superfund enforcement authority to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to oversee the cleanup performed by General Mills. The investment group that purchased the site converted the existing buildings into the business incubator. The business incubator program plays a significant role in the community's development by providing business opportunities to local residents and attracting other entrepreneurs and families to the area.
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Koppers Coke
From 1917 to 1979, the Koppers Company operated a coking facility on a 38-acre property in St. Paul, Minnesota. The facility produced foundry coke and various by-products, such as coal tars and coal tar distillates. Storage and disposal practices, and various leaks and spills, resulted in the contamination of soil and ground water. In 1981, EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. As part of the cleanup, EPA required Koppers to dispose of 240,000 gallons of residue in a federally-approved facility, and excavated and disposed of 21,600 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Currently, ground water is being treated and monitored. The site has been redeveloped into a high-tech industrial park called the Energy Park Drive.
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MacGillis & Gibbs Co./Bell Lumber & Pole Co.
A plastics manufacturing facility will be the first of many new businesses to be built on the MacGillis & Gibbs Co./Bell Lumber & Pole Co. Superfund site in New Brighton, Minnesota. This is part of an effort led by EPA, the state, the City of New Brighton, and the local community to transform the once-blighted and contaminated property into Brighton Corporate Park III, an urban center and office complex. The MacGillis & Gibbs Co. and the Bell Lumber & Pole Co. were two adjacent wood treatment facilities that used chemicals to preserve telephone poles and landscape timbers for over 70 years. The chemicals made their way into the soil and ground water, contaminating drinking water and surface water. In 1984, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. EPA developed and carried out a cleanup plan that removed the contaminated soil, leaking drums, and corroded tanks, and installed a treatment system for the ground water. Following the cleanup of the site, EPA, the state, and the local community were able to reach an agreement with city officials to transfer the property to the city and the local plastics company. This agreement requires the city and the plastics company to maintain the cleanup in return for liability protection for the preexisting contamination at the property.
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National Lead/Taracorp/Golden Auto
The National Lead/Taracorp/Golden Auto Superfund site was the location of a lead smelter from 1940 to 1982. The activities at the smelter resulted in elevated lead levels in the air, soil, and water. Aquifers beneath the site are a primary source of drinking water for area residents. In 1983, EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. Access to the area was restricted, while cleanup crews removed contaminated soil, refilled and revegetated the area, cleaned or demolished buildings, and installed a protective asphalt cover. Ground water monitoring continues. A hospital next to the property now leases the site as a parking lot for its employees.
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Reilly Tar & Chemical Corp. (St. Louis Park Plant)
The 80-acre Reilly Tar & Chemical Corporation Superfund site was used for coal tar distillation and wood preserving from 1917 to 1972. Operations on the property resulted in the contamination of ground water that provides drinking water for 43,000 people. In addition, wastes had been discharged to an adjacent wetland. In 1983, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. EPA and the state cleaned two on-site storage wells, and the Reilly Corporation installed a system to remove and clean the ground water. The site was sold and converted into recreational and residential areas in 1972. Since the cleanup, a new apartment complex has been built on the site.
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Union Scrap Iron and Metal Company
For over a decade, the Union Scrap Iron and Metal Company in Minneapolis separated and recycled lead from used batteries and scrap metal. The waste remaining after the lead was removed and recycled, and was left to accumulate in piles around the property. These waste piles contained remnants of lead and other heavy metals which contaminated the property. EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1983. Once the contamination was discovered, EPA, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the property owners worked together to clean up the site, and turn it into a much needed parking lot for area businesses.
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Waite Park Wells
The Waite Park Wells Superfund site comprises the City of Waite Park's wells and water treatment plant, the Electric Machinery Company property, and the Burlington Northern Railroad property. From 1969 to 1975, the operations at the Electric Machinery Co. resulted in soil and ground water contamination from chlorinated solvent wastes. Beginning in 1894, Burlington Northern operated a railroad car maintenance facility that also contributed to site contamination. Approximately 5,000 people, living as close as 500 feet from the site, use the wells for drinking water. In 1986, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. Electric Machinery built a ground water treatment system. Burlington Northern removed and treated contaminated soil and is responsible for monitoring the ground water. After the cleanup, the city purchased the remainder of the site, and transformed it into a large park with baseball and softball fields. Another section is being redeveloped with a warehouse, restaurant, and office building.
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Whittaker Corporation
Since the early 1940s, the Whittaker Superfund site in Hennepin County, Minnesota, has supported several industrial and manufacturing companies. Operations on the site have included storing oil and antifreeze, manufacturing industrial coatings, producing resins, and distributing steel. These operations contaminated soil and ground water with cadmium, lead, and volatile organic compounds. In 1984, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. While EPA, the state, and the companies responsible for the pollution cleaned the site, several other companies continued to operate. By taking special precautionary measures during the cleanup, several offices, and commercial and light industrial companies were able to remain open for business, and retain their employees.
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