Superfund Sites in Reuse in North Dakota
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ARSENIC TRIOXIDE SITE
The Arsenic Trioxide Site Superfund site spans 26 townships and about 940 square miles of rural farmland in Ransom, North Dakota. Because of massive grasshopper infestations during the early 1900s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture supplied the state of North Dakota with arsenic-laced grasshopper bait. Farmers and landowners applied the bait to fields. They also buried leftover bait in unlined pits. Over time, the arsenic contaminated soils and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983. Cleanup included upgrading three water treatment plants, building new water storage reservoirs and supply wells, and putting in 300 miles of water distribution pipeline. EPA took the site off the NPL in 1996. The communities of Wyndmere and Hankinson were later connected to the Southeast Water Users District’s rural water supply system. As part of the site’s long-term remedy, institutional controls inform land users of potential arsenic contamination. Land uses on-site are mostly residential and agricultural; areas include unaltered prairie and farmland. Many people continue to use groundwater safely for livestock consumption and irrigation. Part of the Lake Traverse Reservation is on-site. The Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife, is also on-site. SEWUD runs a geothermal unit and emergency back-up generator on-site.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 10 people and generated an estimated $1,960,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here. For additional information click here.
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MINOT LANDFILL
The 26-acre Minot Landfill Superfund site is in Minot, North Dakota. From 1961 to 1971, the landfill received municipal and industrial wastes, including oil drums, spent battery casings, calcium carbide and lime sludge. Waste disposal practices contaminated groundwater, surface water, soil, sediment and air with hazardous chemicals. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1989. Remedy components, led by the city of Minot, included capping the landfill waste, fencing the landfill, installing a gas vent system, putting in swales and storm sewer piping, and seeding areas disturbed by construction and exposed slopes on hills along the southern edge of the site. After cleanup, EPA took the site off the NPL in 1997. The site is covered in grass, which is harvested twice a year for hay. City workers stockpile snow at the site during large snow removal events. The Minot Fire Department uses the area for firefighter training. The city of Minot and the Minot Park District have proposed reusing parts of the site as a public park with cross-country trails, mountain bike trails and a disc golf course. The city of Minot and the Minot Park District are working with EPA and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality to ensure the compatibility of planned recreational reuses with the site’s remedy.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on one on-site business. EPA did not have further economic details related to this business. For additional information click here.
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