EPA begins public comment period on proposed plan to clean up residential areas at the St. Regis Superfund site on Leech Lake Reservation, Minnesota
EPA will hold a public meeting July 30, to present the plan and take public comments
CASS LAKE, MINN. (June 17, 2019) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in consultation with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, will begin a 60-day public comment period on a proposed residential cleanup plan for the St. Regis Paper Co. Superfund site in Cass Lake, Minnesota.
The former wood-treatment facility operated from 1950s-1980s using creosote and pentachlorophenol that contaminated the soil and groundwater. In 1984, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List, a list of the nation’s most contaminated sites. EPA will review and respond to comments before finalizing a cleanup plan.
The proposed cleanup plan involves:
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Removing contaminated soil from affected residential areas and replacing it with clean soil or applying a clean-soil cover.
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Managing most of the removed soil at an on-site facility.
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Disposing of the heavily-contaminated soil at an off-site facility.
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Monitoring soil stored on-site.
EPA will accept comments on the proposal from June 17, until August 15, 2019. You may submit comments:
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Via email at: leon.heriberto@epa.gov;
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Mail them to Heriberto Leon, EPA Region 5 (mail code SE-6J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604;
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Or, submit comments online athttps://www.epa.gov/publicnotices/forms/st-regis-paper-co-public-comment-form
EPA will hold a public meeting to present the cleanup plan and hold a public comment session on Tuesday, July 30 at 6 p.m., at the Cass Lake-Bena Elementary School, 15 Fourth St. NW, Cass Lake.
For more information about the site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/st-regis-paper.