Kandiyohi County’s landfill superintendent, Ryan Batten, told the board on July 1 that acquiring a parcel immediately south of the county landfill would extend the county’s groundwater compliance boundary, reduce enforcement and liability risk and allow additional study of a PFAS‑ and boron‑impacted groundwater plume.

Batten described two distinct contamination plumes at the site: a long‑running VOC plume to the northwest associated with pre‑regulatory construction and demolition (C&D) disposal and a more recent C&D plume moving south‑southwest tied to PFAS from firefighting foam used during a 2009 C&D fire. He said one southern monitoring well (DMW‑3) has exceeded groundwater intervention limits for PFAS and boron since 2018 and that monitoring shows contamination has migrated off the county property.

Batten told the board the county faces three broad options: (1) source remediation by excavating and relocating the waste (the only widely tested remedial action) — which he estimated at roughly $7 million plus the loss of about 650,000 cubic yards of landfill airspace — (2) an extensive off‑site hydrogeologic study involving rotasonic borings and dense groundwater sampling estimated at $4.4 million, plus installation and monitoring of corrective action wells, or (3) purchase of the adjacent parcel to expand the groundwater compliance boundary, extend the timeline to enforcement action, and allow time for improved technology or less‑invasive remedies to emerge.

Batten said a targeted noninvasive study such as an NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) “MRI‑style” subsurface survey is estimated around $100,000 and could guide well siting and further work. He described that buying the parcel would allow the county to move two southern monitoring wells onto the acquired land (trading two for two) so that annual monitoring costs would not rise materially while extending the compliance boundary.

Board discussion covered costs, timing, the limitations of current remediation technologies, and whether the county should attempt further negotiation on price. County staff provided a taxation clarification: township tax loss would be about $1,500 annually; assessed value and tax payment figures differ and would take effect in payable 2027. Batten and other staff cautioned that if the MPCA mandates corrective action, the work and monitoring can be extensive and expensive, and that acquiring the property both reduces the potential for complaints from new neighbors and simplifies future corrective action negotiations.

After debate the board moved and seconded a motion to purchase the property at the negotiated price. The roll call recorded three ayes, one nay and one abstention; the motion carried. County staff said landfill reserves will be used to fund the acquisition and that the county will continue studies and monitoring, with a follow‑up report planned after additional investigation.