Lake Superior College to address PFAS contamination in western Duluth waterways

DULUTH — After years of monitoring chemical contamination near the Fond du Lac neighborhood in western Duluth, Lake Superior College signed an agreement to address PFAS, the "forever chemicals" that polluted waterways through the college's firefighter training program.

The college agreed this month to work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) over contamination in soils and a stream that connects to Sargent Creek at its emergency response training center near the Fond du Lac neighborhood in Duluth. The creek is a tributary of the St. Louis River, and PFAS were found in fish where it meets the river at Boy Scout Landing.

PFAS contamination from firefighting foam was first discovered in the area in 2009, MPCA spokesman Adam Olson said.

The MPCA determined then that drinking water, both city-supplied and in households with wells, wasn't affected, and continued to monitor the area. Recent drinking water testing results showed no evidence of PFAS, but soil and streams showed elevated levels, said Jamie Wallerstedt, head of an MPCA division that deals with the removal of pollutants.

She said the agency's approach to PFAS pollution has evolved since the 2009 discovery. The training center site was flagged then, she said, but the agency prioritized other sites throughout the state that had larger public health impacts.

Environmental policy changes signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz in May include a ban on PFAS compounds in certain products as early as 2025, and a total phaseout by 2032 unless they are given a specific exemption.

The college stopped using a type of foam with intentionally added PFAS in 2009 and switched to a type with a much smaller amount, using it twice a year. It is now looking for foam that doesn't use forever chemicals, said David Kline, a spokesman for the college.

The college "has long been committed to using only approved materials in its firefighting training, and as standards have evolved so have the materials we've used in our instruction," college President Patricia Rogers said in a news release. "Now that the impact of these past materials has come to light the college is committed to this collaborative effort with the MPCA."

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of chemicals that have been used to extinguish powerful fires and make nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products, including dental floss. It's been added to certain firefighting foam since the 1960s, and it has also been a contamination problem at the Duluth Air National Guard base.

The chemicals do not break down in the environment. They build up in the bodies of people who consume them, spread easily in water and have been linked with certain cancers, immune deficiencies and developmental problems.

Kline said the estimated cost of the project is still unknown, but the college has hired an environmental consultant to study the extent of the PFAS contamination. Olson said the amount of PFAS found in the St. Louis River fish was below levels found to be unsafe for humans to eat.