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McCollum, Franken, Klobuchar Urge EPA to Set and Maintain Highest Standards for Round Lake Remediation

April 28, 2016

U.S. Representative Betty McCollum and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken today urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set and maintain the highest standards for remediation as it finalizes an agreement with the U.S. Army on the cleanup of the Round Lake superfund site.

Round Lake is part of the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge system, which protects vital habitat for Minnesota’s waterfowl and fish and provides outdoor recreation opportunities close to the Twin Cities. The toxic pollution that prevents the public use of Round Lake is a result of decades of contamination by the federal government and its contractors.

In the letter, the lawmakers note with concern that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has recommended a more comprehensive cleanup effort than what the U.S. Army has currently proposed. They strongly encourage the EPA to ensure the Army conducts a complete cleanup of the site.

“This troubled environmental situation at the Round Lake site has been under consideration for many years. The time has come for an appropriate resolution and remediation of Round Lake,” the lawmakers wrote. “As you work to finalize an agreement with the Army on the remediation of the Round Lake site, we urge you to take and maintain a position on the cleanup that holds our federal government to the highest standards for the remediation of its former contamination.”

The full text of the letter the lawmakers sent is below:

Dear Mr. Kaplan:

We are contacting your office about the assessment and remediation of contamination of the Round Lake portion of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, now designated as the New Brighton/Arden Hills Superfund Site.

The contamination of the groundwater, soil, and surface water at the Round Lake site and the adequacy of the cleanup is a major concern for our constituents, and as their Members of Congress we have an ongoing interest in the cleanup and management of Round Lake and the superfund site as a whole.

As a unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the management of Round Lake will be the responsibility of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the foreseeable future. We ask that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pay special attention to the views of the USFWS on remediation requirements. We understand that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) establishes what are known as Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements, and that legal counsel for both the EPA and the Department of the Interior have concluded that the requirements of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act should apply. We support addressing these requirements in the identification of contamination, the feasibility study, and any remediation plan that is ultimately approved for Round Lake.

The assessment of Round Lake has disclosed unacceptable ecological risks due to the presence of heavy metals and PCBs at toxic levels. Although the assessment was geared toward wildlife, we note with concern that this Refuge is surrounded by residential and commercial developments and is part of a major metropolitan area. Like other wildlife refuges in urban areas, this Refuge unit should be managed to allow human use. This is an important function of the Round Lake Unit and must be accounted for in the assessment and remediation of contamination.

As the Agency that reviews and approves the adequacy of assessments, feasibility studies, and remediation plans, we ask the EPA to set a high standard for addressing the PCB and heavy metal problems at Round Lake. This is a superfund site owned by the federal government and contaminated by a federal agency and its contractors. The EPA has a special obligation to ensure that the U.S. Army do nothing less than a complete cleanup that makes the site safe for both conservation and sustained public use.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency also has a consultative role in the cleanup, and we have been advised of their recommendation that the Army’s remediation effort be more comprehensive. It would be unacceptable if our federal cleanup effort does not measure up to the standard that the State of Minnesota has requested. We encourage EPA to use the remediation of this federally contaminated site to serve as an example for the proper cleanup of private superfund sites and oversight by state agencies of such matters.

This troubled environmental situation at the Round Lake site has been under consideration for many years. The time has come for an appropriate resolution and remediation of Round Lake.

We ask that you respond to these concerns by answering the following questions:

  • Is the EPA including consideration of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act as part of the Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements in the Round Lake assessment and feasibility study?
  • Are there any reasons why the EPA would not require that the Army’s remediation manage the ecological risks identified with the Round Lake site so that it provides high quality ecological and public use benefits as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system?
  • What is the EPA’s role in setting and overseeing a timetable for the Army to complete its efforts with the remediation of the Round Lake site?

As you work to finalize an agreement with the Army on the remediation of the Round Lake site, we urge you to take and maintain a position on the cleanup that holds our federal government to the highest standards for the remediation of its former contamination.