The announcement by Farmland that it hopes to resume its Albert Lea operation was certainly good news, but it brought little change to an urgency need for the city to complete an environmental survey on the old plant site.

Friday, April 05, 2002

The announcement by Farmland that it hopes to resume its Albert Lea operation was certainly good news, but it brought little change to an urgency need for the city to complete an environmental survey on the old plant site.

The city has been working on plotting a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) that presents a detailed cleanup process. The RAP is necessary for applying for cleanup grants. But the debris and unsound structures have been keeping researchers from completing the investigation.

&uot;At this moment, we cannot determine the extent of contamination because of the safety concerns,&uot; said City Planner Bob Graham.

An engineering firm undertaking the study pointed out that demolishing part of the building is imperative to complete the study.

The assessment by Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., a Minneapolis-based engineering firm specializing in environmental investigation, so far identified possible contamination in 36 different spots on the site.

In a Phase II environmental assessment study carried out last November, the firm tried to further the investigation by taking soil and water samples through borings in the spots along with a video survey of the sewer system.

But conditions in some areas were too dangerous for the investigators to enter. In a letter to the city, Allen H. Sunderman of SEH recommended demolition of the stockyards and rendering building located on the south side on the site. The estimated cost is $300,000, according to him.

In a Limited Phase II Assessment Report, SEH indicated further investigations would be required in four areas: the dry cleaning facility, maintenance shop, horizontal above-ground storage tank and wastewater discharge point, where various chlorinated solvents and diesel-range organics were detected in the soil and ground water.

The sewer survey was not completed because the pipes were clogged by animal fat.

An investigation to identify asbestos contamination was not even started because the collapsed four-story central complex keeps investigators out.

The city believes removing the building will be eventually necessary to complete the study.

Taking samples from the central complex area is also crucial to determine whether the detected contaminations are contained in each spot or if they have been diffused by surface and ground water, Graham said.

According to the SEH study, the plant site is underlain by about 100 feet of sand and clay. Below that, there is a 20-foot layer of sandy gravel, under which a hard gray limestone foundation resides. The ground water in the area generally flows toward Albert Lea Lake.

Based on the Phase II study, the city will establish the RAP in cooperation with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. If Farmland opens a new plant in Albert Lea, the city would take over the cleanup project up to $5 million, and hopes to cover that cost through Tax Increment Financing and various grants.