vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Open houses scheduled
EPA will hold an open house-style
session in August to give residents
an opportunity to talk to EPA
representatives one-on-one. You
may stop by during the hours listed
below and ask questions about the
final cleanup work or about the site
in general. No appointment is
needed.
Wednesday, Aug. 26
6-8 p.m.
Matthews Recreation Center
231829thAve. S.
Contact information
Cheryl Allen
Community Involvement
Coordinator
312-353-6196
allen.cheryl@epa.gov
Tim Prendiville
Remedial Project Manager
Superfund Division (SR-6J)
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
312-886-5122
prendiville.timothy@epa.gov
Call EPA Region 5 toll-free
800-621-8431
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays
EPA To Begin Final Cleanup
of Neighborhood Site
South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination Site
Minneapolis, Minnesota August 2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 is set to begin the final
phase of cleanup at the South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination
Superfund site. This work will remove arsenic-contaminated soil from 487
residential properties and will take about 2 !/> years to complete. The cleanup
work will be paid for entirely by stimulus money from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act so property owner will pay nothing. The
properties scheduled for work in this final phase include nine locations that
were not cleaned up in previous stages plus an additional 478 properties
containing lower arsenic levels but still at concentrations posing
unacceptable health risks to residents.
The plan calls for removing shallow soil with arsenic levels higher than 25
milligrams of arsenic per kilogram of soil, or 25 mg/kg. Once the shallow
soil has been removed, EPA will take soil samples to show that only low
amounts of arsenic remain. If soil one foot deep still contains arsenic higher
than 95 mg/kg, workers will dig deeper. Once all contaminated soil is
removed, workers will fill in the yards with clean earth and restore the
ground to its original condition as near as possible. If EPA is unable to
remove all of the contaminated soil, some form of deed restriction or notice
may be placed on the property. The intent is to make sure future owners or
workers are aware the contamination is present.
EPA will hold an open house style meeting to give residents an opportunity
to talk about the site. See the box on the left for details.
Access agreements
EPA sent out around 475 letters and access agreements to property
owners where arsenic levels in their yards were high enough to include in
the next cleanup phase. If you received this letter and access agreement
and have not returned the signed form, EPA is asking that you send it as
soon as possible. Access agreements should be sent to EPA's Tim
Prendiville (address in the box on the left).
Cleanup process
If your property is scheduled to be cleaned up, you would have received a
letter from EPA letting you know your land is one of the 487 locations
selected for this phase. Before any cleanup begins, EPA will meet with you
to discuss your specific property and walk over it with you so you can
identify special landscaping features and any other issues you might have.
During this meeting, information will be gathered so a drawing of the
property can be made. EPA will also videotape and photograph the property
to document its original condition and give you a copy of that material,
which can be used in case there is any question about how your place was
restored. We will also create an inventory of any plants that would need to be
replaced. We will then come back right before the work is scheduled to start
to go over our property drawing with you and get your approval to begin.
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Once the actual cleanup begins, it usually takes about a
week to finish and put the property back to its original
condition as near as possible. How long it takes largely
depends on the size of the property. Weather can also play
a role, but we will try our best to not start if we know bad
weather will interfere. Flowers, trees, plants and other
vegetation that need to be replaced will be exchanged with
nursery stock so they may not be as mature as the original
greenery.
We appreciate the importance of your mature trees and
will do everything we can to prevent damage. If we have
to remove soil from around a tree we will dig by hand so
the roots will be undisturbed. This is something we can
discuss with you during our initial meeting. If for some
reason a mature tree must be removed we will have to
replace it with a nursery-grade tree.
During the cleanup process, EPA will not excavate any
driveways or sidewalks and will dig at least one foot away
from foundations. Fences may need to be temporarily
moved to do the work, but we will avoid that if possible. If
a fence has to be moved, it will be returned to its original
location, and if serious damage occurs the fence will be
replaced.
EPA will test the new soil that replaces the ground
removed from your yard before it is brought to your place
to make sure it is clean. The soil will be tested for arsenic
and also for a complete list of other pollutants such as
metals and organic contamination. A copy of those results
will be provided to you in the closeout letter for your
property.
The contaminated soil is taken by truck to an off-site
landfill for disposal. We do not know yet which landfill
will be used for this work, but the facility will be designed
to safely hold contaminated material.
When we are done with the work we will give you a
closeout letter that says the property cleanup is complete.
It will contain sample results and a drawing showing the
area that was excavated. It will also contain sample results
for the clean soil that was used to backfill the excavation.
The closeout letter will also ask you to confirm the
property has been adequately restored.
About the South Minneapolis site
The South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination
site study area covers about 1,480 acres including
residential, commercial, industrial and municipal
properties. The area is largely residential, with much of the
housing built from the early 1900s through 1930s. The site
has been investigated for residential arsenic contamination,
some of which may have drifted through the air from the
former CMC Heartland Lite Yard property located in the
neighborhood.
Between 1938 and 1963, arsenic-based pesticides and
herbicides were blended and distributed at the CMC
Heartland property by Reade Manufacturing. From 1963
to 1968 another company manufactured, shipped and
stored herbicides from the CMC Heartland plant property.
In January 1968 a storage tank containing liquid sodium
arsenate ruptured and released around 3,000 gallons. The
plant operator covered the spilled material with six inches
of sand to try to limit its impact.
Arsenic contamination was discovered in 1994 by
Minnesota Department of Transportation during
reconstruction of the Hiawatha Avenue corridor adjacent
to the CMC Heartland plant site. By 1996 the plant site
was covered with crushed asphalt and clean dirt to keep
dust from blowing off-site. Soil cleanup work was done in
2004 and 2005 at the plant site to remove highly
contaminated soil and to minimize human exposure to
polluted shallow soil. Since then the plant site has been
redeveloped with a light industrial building.
In 2004 the state asked for EPA's assistance to manage
contamination in the surrounding neighborhood and the
Agency sampled more than 3,500 yards. EPA found 206
properties with arsenic levels that posed an immediate
threat to people and between 2004 and 2008, EPA cleaned
up 197 of those lots.
This next phase of work will complete all the soil cleanup
work related to the arsenic contamination from the former
plant site.
For more information
Documents about this site can be viewed online at epa.gov/region5/sites/cmcheartland/, and at the following locations:
Green Institute
2801 21st Ave.S.
Suite 100
Minneapolis
Minneapolis Police Department
Attn: CarlaNielson
1201-BE. Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall
2nd Floor
Minneapolis
Minneapolis Public Library
East Lake Branch
2727 E. Lake St.
Minneapolis
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Environmental Health Information
How to reduce accidental intake of contaminated soils
Minnesota Au9ust 2009
Department of Health
How can you be exposed to contaminants in soil?
While it is possible to breathe in contaminated dust, accidental ingestion of contaminated soil is a greater concern.
Accidental ingestion of contaminated soil may occur when normal activities leave soil on our fingers and hands, increasing
the chance that contaminants could be swallowed. Children who live and play in a contaminated area can have more
exposure than adults. Preschool-age children are more likely to be exposed because of their frequent hand to mouth
activity. Dust from contaminated soil can be tracked into the house on shoes and can end up on indoor surfaces and toys.
What can you do to prevent or reduce contact with contaminants?
Keep hands clean.
* Wash children's hands and faces, especially before eating and bedtime. Keep their fingernails short and clean.
Clean toys or objects that children put in their mouths.
* Adults should wash their hands before feeding their children, smoking, eating or drinking.
Try to reduce soil dust in the house.
* Take off your shoes when you enter your home to prevent tracking contaminated soil inside. Store outdoor shoes
at entryways. Remember that pets can carry in soil dust on their paws.
Vacuum carpeting, rugs and upholstery. Regular vacuuming will keep dust from accumulating.
Dust with a damp cloth.
Scrub tile and linoleum floors and wash windowsills.
Keep windows closed on windy days, at least on the windward side of the house. This will keep dust from blowing
inside.
Wash gardening gloves and clothes separately from family clothes.
Change the furnace filter every 3 months.
Reduce outdoor activities that stir up dust.
* Seed or sod bare areas in your yard. Bushes and grass help keep soil in place and reduce the amount of dust in
the air.
* Minimize mowing over areas of sparse lawn during periods of dry weather.
* Avoid dirt biking, mountain biking, ATV use or any other recreational activities that disturb the soil.
* Avoid digging or disturbing soil. If it cannot be avoided, keep the soil moist to reduce making dust.
Take special care when gardening or harvesting.
* Use gardening gloves (leather is better than cloth) when gardening to keep contaminated dust out from under
fingernails and reduce the chance that soil on fingers and hands could be swallowed.
* Keep garden tools and gloves in one area of the garage or shed.
* Periodically rinse tools off.
* All plants used for traditional or cultural purposes should be rinsed off carefully, even if they will not be used as
food.
* Use the same tips when harvesting wild vegetation (use gloves and rinse tools).
Give children a safe play area.
* Build a sandbox with a bottom and fill it with clean sand. Cover it when not in use to keep out contaminated dust.
* Find other places for children to play.
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Prepare food carefully to reduce the amount of contaminants.
* Thoroughly wash and peel all home-grown vegetables before eating or cooking them. Or, if possible, grow
vegetables in a raised garden bed filled with clean soil.
* Rinse the dust off of wild vegetation carefully before using.
For more information contact:
MDH/Site Assessment and Consultation: 651-201-4897 or 800-657-3908, press "4" and leave a message.
To request this document in another format, call 651-201-5000, TDD: 651-201-5797 or The Minnesota Relay
Service at 800-627-3529.
This information sheet was prepared in cooperation with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
IMINNFSOTA
MDH
Minnesota Department of Health • Division of Health • Site Assessment and Consultation Unit
651-201-5000, or 800-657-3908, press 0 / www.health.state.mn.us
Printed on Recycled Paper
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Proteclion
Agency
Region 5
Superfund Division (SI-7J)
7? W. Jackson Bivd
Chicago, II60604-3590
First Class Mail
Postage and Fees Paid
EPA
Permit No. G-35
Return Address Requested
SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS NEIGHBORHOOD SOIL CONTAMINATION SITE:
EPA to Begin Final Cleanup
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