State awards $20M from 3M settlement over ‘forever chemicals’ to improve habitat, recreation
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More than two dozen projects to restore wildlife habitat or improve outdoor recreation will receive money from Minnesota's 2018 settlement with 3M over PFAS, sometimes known as "forever chemicals."
The projects include park improvements, fishing programs and stream restorations in the Twin Cities east metro and downstream areas of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers. They’ll receive a total of $20 million.
PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are human-made chemicals that resist breaking down in the environment. Studies have linked exposure to PFAS to several health problems, including kidney and thyroid disease, liver damage, low birth weight and cancer.
Decades ago, 3M disposed of chemical waste containing PFAS at several sites in the east Twin Cities metro, where they leached into groundwater, rivers and streams.
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"By restoring habitat and outdoor spaces that support both people and wildlife, these grant projects are an important step in mitigating that damage,” said Katie Smith, an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, during a media briefing announcing the grant funds on Wednesday.
In 2018, 3M agreed to pay $850 million to settle the state of Minnesota’s lawsuit, which alleged that PFAS the company manufactured had harmed drinking water and natural resources in the Twin Cities east metro.
The majority of the settlement was designated for providing safe drinking water to residents in east metro communities affected by PFAS pollution, including building new treatment plants and connecting homes with private wells to municipal drinking water systems.
But $20 million was set aside for enhancing water resources, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities in the east metro. Eight years after the settlement was announced, that funding is finally ready to be distributed.
The second phase of the settlement rollout doesn’t aim to remove the chemicals from the environment. Instead, it is compensation for the damage PFAS have caused to natural resources.
The most visible impact of PFAS contamination on natural resources has been fish consumption advisories on a number of Twin Cities lakes and rivers, including stretches of the Mississippi River, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Elmo and Lake Harriet.
State officials chose 26 projects from more than 50 applications. They include improving parks and trails, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, improving river accesses and providing fishing educational programs. A full list of the projects is available online.
The largest amount of the funding was set aside for habitat improvements, said Randall Doneen, section manager in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ water and ecological services division.
“We got lots of different habitat improvement projects, both upland and water-related projects, that we're really pleased with,” he said at the media briefing. The exact dollar amount awarded to each project hasn’t been announced yet, Doneen said.
Cottage Grove was awarded more than $3 million to improve Mississippi Dunes Park, which local leaders envision as a regional destination that celebrates the city’s connection to the Mississippi River.
The grant will pay for construction of a park entrance, parking lot, paved trails and other infrastructure, according to a news release from the city.
“These improvements will create safe, accessible connections throughout the park while laying the groundwork for exciting future amenities along the river,” Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey stated in the release.
Meanwhile, Twin Cities east metro communities continue to deal with the expanding underground PFAS contamination. A recent study from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommended the state take action to contain the underground plume and keep it from spreading to new areas.
Among the recommendations: installing a system of wells that would pump contaminated groundwater, remove PFAS, then distribute it to cities and inject some back into the underground aquifer. It’s still unclear who would pay for the plan.
Correction (July 6, 2026): An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Katie Smith’s position. She is an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The story has been updated.
