Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota

Institutional Response to PFC Contamination

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Participants Actions to Date Future Plans
Government Agencies

MN Dept. of Health

John Linc Stine
Director, Environmental Health
651-201-4675
john.stine@health.state.mn.us
  1. Lowered Health Based Value (HBV) for PFOA & PFOS from 1ppb to .5ppb
  2. Est. well advisory guideline of 1 ppb for PFBA
  3. Random water testing
  4. Established fish consumption advisories for Ramsey, Hennepin, and Washington Counties.
  5. Conducting water filter study - final report due May ‘08
  6. Tested 740 wells for PFCs
  7. Issued 52 well advisories
  1. Will develop HRL (Health Risk Limits) for PFOS and PFOA by Aug '07.
  2. Scheduled to propose new health risk limit (HRL) for PFBA by Feb. ‘08
  3. Biomonitoring pilot project field work scheduled to begin in 2 communities by spring ‘08
  4. Developing and implementing an environmental health tracking program in Minnesota

MN Pollution Control Agency

Brad Moore, Commissioner
651-296-7301
brad.moore@pca.state.mn.us
  1. Citizen Board decision not to classify PFOA/PFOS as hazardous substances (4/24/07)
  2. Negotiated consent agreement with 3M
  3. Collaborated with Washington County to offer testing of private wells for $382
  4. Testing landfills around the state
  5. Provided bottled water or GAC units to homes with well advisories
  6. Evaluating treatment options for Groundwater
    • Conducting following environmental studies:
      Air, surface, and ground water sampling
    • Sampled 1,007 wells in South Washington County as of 12/14/07
    • Fish tissues sampling in 32 lakes
    • Solid waste facilities
    • Surveyed 28 waste water treatment Facilities
  1. MPCA Consent Agreement with 3M:

    3M Agrees to the following:

    1. Dig up PFC waste from three of its former disposal sites and put material in lined facility or incinerate
    2. Provide MPCA $5 million in grants for research on PFCs
    3. Pay up to $8 million to clean up PFCs in Washington County Landfill
    4. Reimburse MPCA $600,000 in investigation expenses
    5. Provide alternate drinking water if PFC levels exceed HBV state health-based values
    6. Take action to investigate other PFCs that may be released into the environment
  2. MPCA Budgeted Projects:
    1. $115,000 for additional fish tissue sampling in Mississippi River
    2. $20,000 for baseline sampling to determine if PFCs are present in ambient ground water
    3. $200,000 for consultant contract to accelerate development of criteria for PFOS and PFOA that would apply to wastewater effluent discharge to surface waters of the state
    4. $154,500 for active landfill evaluation of PFCs
    5. $150,000 for the evaluation of PFCs at wastewater treatment plans
  3. Identifying possible location for new city wells or expansion of water system capacity for Woodbury & Cottage Grove
  4. MPCA contractor (Interpoll) to collect future private well samples
  5. Estimated cost to clean up Woodbury disposal site - $23 million
Company
3M

Dr. Katherine Reed, VP
651-778-4331
kereed@mmm.com

Dr. Larry Zobel, Medical Director 651-733-5181 lzobel@mmm.com
  1. Built Oakdale water treatment facility
  2. Connected private wells to municipal water system in Lake Elmo
  3. Meeting  2 times/week with     
    MPCA
  4. Providing following info to MPCA:
    • Air emissions
    • Health & toxicological studies
  5. Submitted to MPCA remedial investigation report & work plans
    for 3M disposal sites
  6. Completed PFBA developmental study and PFBA half life studies
  7. Holding community meetings to report clean up plans and progress
  1. Negotiated consent agreement with MPCA (see above)
MN Legislature
District Legislator Bills introduced, Actions Taken
55 Sen Charles Wiger Author:New Health Risk Limits for PFOA/PFOS: passed
56 Sen Kathy Saltzman
  • Author: Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs: passed
  • Author: Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
57 Sen Katie Sieben
  • Introduced:New Health Rist Limits for PFOA/PFOS:passed
  • Author:Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
  • Introduced:Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs: passed
55b Nora Slawik
  • Author: Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
56a Julie Bunn
  • Author: New Health Risk Limits for PFOA/PFOS: passed
  • Author & Intro: Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
  • Intro & Author: Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs: passed
56b Marsha Swails
  • Author: New Health Risk Limits for PFOA/PFOS: passed
  • Author: Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs: passed
  • Author: Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
57a Karla Bigham
  • Author/Intro: Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs:passed
  • Author/Intro:Enviro Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
  • Author/Intro:New Health Risk Limits for PFOA/PFOS: passed
57b Denny McNamara
  • Author/Intro:New Health Risk Limits for PFOA/PFOS: passed
  • Author/Intro:Environmental Health Tracking & Biomonitoring: passed
  • Author/Intro:Evaluation of water treatment units in removing PFCs:passed
63a Rep. Paul Thissen
  • Formed East Metro PFC Oversight Committee

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