vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Risk Assessment Completed;
Cleanup Plans Being Developed
Public meeting scheduled
You are invited to a public meeting
about the St. Regis Paper Co. site:
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Cass Lake-Bena Elementary School
15 4th St., N.W.
Cass Lake
Contact information
Don de Blasio
Community Involvement Coordinator
312-886-4360
deblasio.don@epa.gov
Tim Drexler
Remedial Project Manager
312-353-4367
drexler.timothy@epa.gov
Toll-free 800-621-8431,
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., weekdays
Information repositories
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Division of Resource Management
6530 Highway 2 N.W.
Cass Lake
Cass Lake Library
223 Cedar Ave.
Cass Lake
Bemidji State University Library
1501 Birchmont Drive N.E.
Bemidji
Cass Lake City Clerk
332 Second St. N.W.
Cass Lake
Leech Lake Tribal College
6945 Little Wolf Road
Cass Lake
On the Web:
www.epa.gov/region5/sites/stregis
St. Regis Paper Co. Superfund Site
Leech Lake Reservation
Cass County, Minnesota
September 2009
A document called a "feasibility study" will soon help U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency recommend a cleanup plan for the St. Regis Paper Co.
Superfund site. International Paper Co. and BNSF Railway are working to
complete the study for EPA and its support agency partners, the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The feasibility study presents and evaluates potential cleanup options. EPA
expects the study to be completed by mid-September. After EPA has reviewed
and approved the document, the Agency will conduct a public hearing in Cass
Lake to present its recommended cleanup plan. Local residents will have an
opportunity to comment on the recommendation at the public hearing -
expected to be held early in 2010 - and during a public comment period.
Two additional parties responsible for cleanup of the site, the city of Cass
Lake and Cass Forest Products, have declined to participate.
Risk assessment
EPA will hold a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22 (see box, left) to discuss the
preliminary feasibility study as well as a human health and ecological risk
assessment that was completed Aug. 15. This risk assessment found the site
still poses health risks to people. While some temporary measures have been
taken to reduce these risks, the feasibility study will outline more permanent
options. It will also explain potential ways to deal with an area of ecological
risk near the on-site containment vault.
Ecological risks at the Fox Creek area are being evaluated further. Under the
oversight of EPA and the Leech Lake Band, IP conducted additional sediment
sampling during fall 2008. A 28-day test of the collected samples was done to
determine whether the Fox Creek sediments are toxic to animals. EPA is
interpreting those test results to complete the ecological risk assessment. The
results of that work will be used to finalize the ecological portion of the risk
assessment, and if necessary, cleanup alternatives will be evaluated for this
area.
Continuing ground water study
Ongoing IP site operations continue to monitor contaminated ground water
removal and treatment, as well as the ground water away from the system,
under EPA and support agency oversight. Annual reviews show contaminants
are generally captured by the ground-water treatment system, but there are
some indications that capture may not be complete at all times.
Studies are under way to check for this problem at the former city dump area
and the former operations area. IP is preparing a report on an investigation
related to ground-water contamination in the city dump area, which was
conducted in 2008 and 2009. EPA will review this report when it is
completed. An additional investigation of ground water capture between the
former operations area and Pike Bay is also planned.
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In the area of the Leech Lake Band Division of Resource
Management buildings, a study of the subsurface related to
the Leech Lake Band fish hatchery wells is complete.
One of the probe locations at the southwest corner of the
soil containment vault showed site-related contaminants at
depth. Based upon its depth, it appears the contamination
is from before the construction of the vault. The nature of
the contamination and its source will be further evaluated
as a part of site cleanup. Three new monitoring wells were
constructed around the soil containment vault and one new
monitoring well was constructed on DRM property. These
wells will be used to provide information on ground water
flow direction and to monitor the presence of
contaminants. A pumping test of the hatchery wells will be
conducted this fall to determine the area of influence of
hatchery well pumping and ground water properties.
Recently, ground-water sampling was conducted along the
location of the Enbridge pipeline scheduled for
construction later this year. The pipeline will be located
north of the St. Regis Superfund site. The results of that
sampling will provide additional information on the former
operations area ground water plume.
Next steps
The feasibility study will result in a list of cleanup options
for the St. Regis site. In consultation with the Leech Lake
Band and MPCA, EPA will pick a recommended cleanup
plan from those options and open the process to public
comment. After a period of review and comment on the
recommended cleanup plan, EPA will make a final cleanup
choice in a document called "record of decision." Plans to
carry out that decision will then be developed so the actual
cleanup can begin.
History and background
The St. Regis site, in the city of Cass Lake, is within the
boundaries of the Leech Lake Band's reservation. It
includes a former wood treatment plant, which operated
from 1958 until 1984, and affected adjacent areas.
St. Regis was listed on the National Priorities List in 1984,
making it eligible for cleanup under EPA's Superfund
program.
The site has four primary sections:
• Northwest portion of the former operations area.
• Southwest operations area and location of an on-site
vault.
• Former Cass Lake dump that accepted site wastes.
• Residential area surrounding the site.
MPCA originally had the lead for site cleanup. During the
late 1980s, MPCA required then-owner Champion Paper
Co. to conduct the following cleanup actions:
• Connect nearby residents to city water.
• Create a vault for excavated contaminated soil and
sludge.
• Create a ground-water extraction system with
monitoring wells to contain contaminated
underground water plumes in the former operations
and former city dump areas.
In 1994, site responsibility transferred to EPA at the
request of the Leech Lake Band.
In 2001 and 2003, soil sampling conducted after a major
review of the site uncovered new problems with dioxin
concentrations. Dioxin levels in shallow soil on the site
exceeded EPA's 1998 dioxin policy for residential limits
of 1,000 parts per trillion. In 2004, EPA ordered IP to
conduct a human health and ecological risk assessment.
The company sampled for contaminated dust in
residences as a part of the risk assessment. The results
showed an increased risk to residents near the site. In
response, IP agreed to clean up contaminated dust in
nearby residences.
In 2004 and 2005, IP removed 3,394 tons of
contaminated soil from the site based on the 2001 and
2003 sampling. In 2006, IP installed a gravel cover and a
fence to prevent access to a commercial portion of the
site. BNSF removed an additional 680 tons of
contaminated soil from its property in 2006.
Also in 2006 with EPA oversight, IP completed a system-
wide pumping test of 72 monitoring wells and all 13
extraction wells. During January and February 2008, IP
carried out more investigations that resulted in new
monitoring wells being added in the former Cass Lake
city dump. The work was done because of the discovery
of a tar plume in addition to a light plume already known
to exist. Later this year IP will test water wells belonging
to the Leech Lake Band. After the testing, the new
information will be used to develop computer models to
evaluate the effectiveness of the ground water extraction
and monitoring system.
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