Public Notice: EPA Begins Review of the Baytown Township Groundwater Plume Superfund Site

Summary

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a review of the Baytown Township Groundwater Plume Superfund site in Washington County, Minnesota—including parts of Baytown Township, West Lakeland Township, and the cities of Bayport and Lake Elmo. The five-year review process ensures that cleanups continue to be protective of human health and the environment. This is the fifth five-year review of this site.

The site is organized into three sections known as operable units: OU1 includes private wells and the groundwater plume; OU2 includes the City of Bayport municipal wells; and OU3 is the source area. The primary source of contamination was a metalworking facility that operated from 1940 to 1968 at 11325 Stillwater Blvd. N in Lake Elmo. 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency assumed responsibility for regulatory oversight of the site in 1995 through the MPCA Enforcement Deferral Pilot Project, under which EPA deferred onsite decisions to MPCA. In 2023, EPA became the lead agency at OU3 for further site investigation and to propose cleanup alternatives. MPCA remains the lead agency for OU1 and OU2. The site was listed on the state Superfund Permanent List of Priorities in 1988 and added to the federal National Priorities List in 1994.

More information is available at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Road N, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and at Baytown Township Groundwater Plume webpage. EPA expects to complete this review in March 2027. The review process is an opportunity for you to tell the EPA about site conditions and any concerns you have.