State asks for public comment on contaminated 3M dump

Old landfill
The former 3M landfill in Woodbury. The pumps will continue to operate and the company will monitor groundwater for at least thirty years.
MPR Photo/Bill Alkofer

The public will have a chance to comment on a plan to clean up contamination at the 3M disposal site in Woodbury.

The site is contaminated with perflourochemicals or PFCs.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Douglas Wetzstein said an existing system pumps water out of the site to reduce contamination of ground water. The water winds up in the Mississippi River.

Under the new plan, the pump system will be fitted with carbon filters to remove the PFCs.

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"It's been in place a long time, and it's been proven effective. We just want to make sure it continues to operate. The only difference is now the water is going to be treated with carbon before it can be discharged," Wetzstein said.

The pumps will continue to operate and the company will monitor groundwater for at least thirty years.

Also, 86 percent of the soil will be removed from the site and buried in a lined landfill.

A public meeting on the plan will be held Thursday night at the Woodbury City Offices.