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Solventum site director outlines PFAS testing, soil removals and interim treatment plan
Summary
Solventum site director Jim Burkhardt told the Brookings City Council the company submitted expanded soil, stormwater and surface-water sampling to the state DNR, removed about 4,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil and plans an interim carbon stormwater treatment system to operate by spring runoff; he said off-site public risk is "extremely low."
Jim Burkhardt, site director for the Solventum manufacturing plant in Brookings, told the City Council the company has completed an expanded round of on- and off-site sampling for PFAS and submitted the data and next-step recommendations to the South Dakota DNR on Nov. 14.
Burkhardt said the sampling program included soil, stormwater and surface-water points both on Solventum property and in nearby off-site locations, and that the highest on- and off-site readings align southwest of the plant. He said the company removed roughly 4,500 cubic yards of soil from a green-shaded area on the site and transported that material to an off-site landfill in Rosemount, Minnesota.
To reduce future off-site migration, Burkhardt said Solventum has installed a berm on the southwest side of the property and plans to operate an interim stormwater treatment system that will route flows through a carbon treatment before discharge. He said the full system is expected to be functional for spring runoff. Burkhardt also described a focused soil sampling and removal plan and ongoing quarterly groundwater monitoring in coordination with Barr Engineering, the state DNR, Brookings Municipal Utilities and the city.
When asked about additional off-site soil testing near a pond along Twelfth Street South, Burkhardt said the current plan focuses on addressing the highest concentrations at the source and that Solventum will coordinate any additional off-site actions with the state in meetings scheduled after the new year.
Burkhardt characterized the risk to the public from surface-water readings as "extremely low" and said detailed reports and links are posted on the South Dakota DNR spills website and will be attached to the city's meeting materials. He invited councilmembers and the public to direct further questions to two provided contact points for Solventum and the company that operates the site.
The council did not take a formal action on the presentation; staff and the company said monitoring and mitigation work will continue and be reported back to the city and state agencies.
