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Background
The CMC Heartland Lite Yard site (plant site) is located on 5 acres at the northwest corner of the intersection of Hiawatha Ave and 28th St. Several companies produced pesticides at the plant from 1938 to 1968. When arsenic was discovered at the plant site, health agencies suspected that the wind might have blown contaminated dust into nearby neighborhoods. Yards were sampled north and west of the plant site.
When the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed that arsenic was present on some properties, the agency asked for help from EPA in cleaning up the contamination. In late 2004, 29 yards in the South Minneapolis area were cleaned. Since that time EPA has identified a total of 197 properties that required cleanup to address immediate health threats. By the end of 2007 163 properties were cleaned up. The remaining 34 properties should be cleaned up in 2008.
EPA has also completed studies looking at the long-term health threats posed by arsenic at this site. EPA is expecting to present a proposed cleanup plan to the public this spring that will address those risks. A final decision on the plan will be made after public comments on the plan are considered by EPA. The final decision is expected this summer.
More information about arsenic from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.