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Council urges MPCA to consider full cleanup at Ford Area C site on Highland River Bluff
Summary
The City Council unanimously passed a resolution backing the most intensive cleanup option for the Ford Motor Company Area C site, citing flood and slope‑stability risks and ecological concerns while noting MPCA remains the regulatory decision‑maker.
The Saint Paul City Council voted unanimously to express formal support for the most comprehensive cleanup alternative described in a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) feasibility study for 'Area C,' a former Ford Motor Company disposal site in Highland Park near Highland Bridge.
Sponsor Councilmember Joost reviewed the site's history of paint‑sludge and solvent disposal, the presence of monitoring wells and a 1990 removal from the federal Superfund list. After reviewing six options in the feasibility study, Joost said the most protective outcome is 'alternative 6,' which calls for removal of all waste and full site restoration. She told colleagues she favors elimination rather than containment because of concerns about increasing flood events, slope stability, risks to groundwater and impacts on endangered species and nearby ecology.
Joost emphasized that MPCA, not the city, is the regulator that will set the cleanup plan; the resolution reflects a municipal endorsement of alternative 6 to inform MPCA consideration. The measure passed 7–0.
The council also noted historic reports available on the MPCA and City of Saint Paul websites and referenced technical work by Arcadis, which recommended an intermediate alternative in its review. The resolution does not bind MPCA or require city funding; it registers community preference and asks state regulators to weigh the more comprehensive option when finalizing the cleanup approach.
