Abstract |
The New Brighton/Arden Hills site is located immediately north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. The 'site' actually includes portions of the municipalities of Shoreview, Arden Hills, Moundsview, New Brighton and St. Anthony. The site presently consists of more than 18 square miles of ground water contaminated with volatile organics. In June 1981, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found organic solvent contamination in ground water used for municipal drinking water in the City of New Brighton, which lies immediately to the northeast of St. Anthony and Minneapolis. The original June 1981 sampling showed no contamination in the St. Anthony wells; but by late 1981, unquantifiable traces of trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination began to appear in city well number 3. From 1982 to 1984, TCE levels in well number 3 gradually rose to the 8-10 ppb range with a peak level of 23 ppb. In addition, dichloroethylene (DCE) levels gradually rose to levels averaging approximately 1 ppb, with a peak of 1.7 ppb. |