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Lake Elmo discusses PFAS plume, Washington County landfill history and long-term remediation options
Summary
City staff outlined PFAS testing results, ownership history of the Washington County landfill in Lake Elmo, and technical and funding uncertainties for remediation including a proposed multi‑well injection/pump array and local treatment plants.
At an April 2025 council workshop, Lake Elmo staff reviewed local PFAS contamination issues, historical ties to the Washington County landfill, interactions with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and trustees of the 3M settlement, and conceptual remediation options.
The nut graf: Lake Elmo officials said PFAS in the aquifer is a long-term problem that will require both near-term interim measures (point-of-use or point-of-entry filtration for private wells and temporary treatment for municipal wells) and long-term, capital‑intensive remediation such as multi‑well pump-and‑inject arrays or new treatment plants; who pays for operations and long-term maintenance remains unresolved.
Clark Schroeder summarized the regulatory and technical situation and noted that the city took ownership of the Washington County landfill in 1995. Schroeder said the landfill is managed today under the MPCA closed‑landfill program and that records show Ramsey County and Washington County municipal and commercial waste were deposited there primarily between about 1969 and 1975. The presentation referenced earlier investigations and noted that Oakdale, Woodbury and other nearby sites also contribute to a commingled PFAS plume.
Schroeder and staff walked council members through a set of technical options that engineers and the MPCA are studying: a multi‑well, multi‑benefit array that would pump plume water, treat it, inject a portion back into the aquifer to form a hydraulic containment wall and distribute surplus treated water for municipal use; injection wells positioned to control plume direction; and new municipal treatment plants (the presentation discussed a proposed south plant near Tenth and Inwood and north-treatment concepts near 50th Street to treat Wells 4 and 5). The presentation cited a conceptual treatment design capacity of about 4,000 gallons per minute for the city plant and noted Oakdale has approximately 5,000 gpm; engineers estimated a regional system might be on the order of 10,000–14,000 gpm depending on the scenario.
City staff reported that Well Number 2 in the northeast part of Lake Elmo contains PFAS above the EPA reference level cited in the presentation (4 parts per trillion) and is currently used only for high-peak demand because it requires treatment; the city intends to commission a temporary (possibly permanent) treatment plant near that well to provide summer peak capacity. Staff also said Well Numbers 4 and 5 show rising PFAS trends but remain below the 4 ppt level at the time of the presentation; trustees and the MPCA have supported preliminary design work for treatment capacity given the trajectory.
The presentation stressed financial uncertainty. Schroeder said the 3M trustees are asking for mediation with the MPCA about transition issues and that 3M has requested a state audit of the $850,000,000 settlement to review how funds were spent. He warned of possible funding gaps: if the 3M settlement or MPCA processes do not cover certain remediation or operating costs, municipal water users and private well owners could face added costs for treatment and long-term operations. Schroeder said the city cannot sue 3M for PFAS-related cleanup costs because the city entered a settlement agreement in 2019 that released 3M from liability for PFAS claims by Lake Elmo.
Schroeder and council members also discussed leachate control at the Washington County landfill: the closed‑site program currently collects and treats about 60,000 gallons of leachate per month and the landfill cap system includes layered clay and synthetic liners installed during past remediation phases.
Ending: City staff said they will continue coordinating with the MPCA, 3M trustees, Met Council and neighboring municipalities on hydrologic studies, sampling and funding frameworks. No formal council action was taken at the workshop; council members asked staff to pursue additional historical records and to press for clearer funding commitments from trustees and state agencies.
