(St. Paul MN-) Senator Jeff Howe of Rockville has presented legislation that appropriates money to allow the City of Paynesville to hire an independent contractor to assess remediation that has been done regarding previous gasoline contamination in multiple water wells.
Benzene was first identified at Paynesville’s Midtown Service Station site in 1985, and the affected tanks were removed in 1989. Benzene was again identified in other primary wells for the city in 1997, with the source being the leaking underground storage tanks at the former Midtown Service Station. The city worked in tandem with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to eliminate the gasoline contamination. When the MPCA was pushed for more aggressive remediation, Paynesville officials were met with annoyance and pushback from the agency, leaving residents questioning whether the decontamination process was done well-enough to protect the long-term water supply.
“There have been questions raised about the MPCA’s cleanup process with Paynesville’s wells. Paynesville and other communities experienced contamination from leaking tanks. The drinking water is safe, but we need to ensure that the contamination was remediated properly. The city needs the flexibility to hire a third-party consultant simply to review the process and reports the MPCA used to address the contamination. We want to understand the process and give residents peace of mind,” Howe said.
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Representative Dean Urdahl of Grove City says the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has approved the city of Cosmos for more than $1.5 million in state financing to improve its drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
The PFA indicates the drinking water project consists of a $929,000 WIF Drinking Water-Grant (USDA-RD match) to facilitate Phase 1 of the city’s watermain replacement project in the north half of the city.
Another $670,000 WIF Wastewater-Grant (USDA-RD match) was awarded to conduct the first phase of the city’s sanitary sewer rehabilitation project in the north half of the city, the PFA said.
Congratulations to the people of Cosmos for their successful application and for their commitment to improving local infrastructure, Urdahl said. I have long been a supporter of PFA programs because they help cities such as Cosmos complete essential projects such as these with favorable terms for local taxpayers.
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Originally Appeared Here