CASS LAKE—A section of land in the city of Cass Lake
with contaminated soil will likely receive another round of cleaning
once the federal government finishes preparations.
The
land to be worked on is part of the former St. Regis Paper Co.
facility, which was later bought by Champion International Inc. and now
International Paper Co. When it was running, the facility used creosote
and other chemicals to treat wood.
The 125-acre site, just south of the train tracks and east of Aspen
Avenue (state Highway 371) near Pike Bay, has been designated as an EPA
Superfund location. According to the EPA, Superfund sites are those that
contain hazardous substances and pollutants that could harm the local
ecosystems. In 1980, the "Superfund" law was enacted that outlines how
areas must be cleaned up and who pays for the work.
In the years
after the site closed operations in the mid-1980s, the MPCA and tribal
officials began identifying contamination at various areas on the site,
according to Levi Brown, environmental land director for the Leech Lake
Division of Resource Management.
The EPA became the lead agency
for the site in 1995 and the agency conducted soil sampling in 2000, and
from 2004-2006, a total of 3,900 tons of contaminated soil was removed
from an area on the site.
Additional soil sampling in 2012-2013
also identified pollutants and the need for additional work for the
site. In the latest cleanup project, the EPA is proposing to excavate
contaminated soil from the site and other residential property and
backfill the area with clean dirt and plant new vegetation.
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