Minneapolis cites demolition crew tearing down Smith Foundry after pollution caught on video

The city of Minneapolis has fined a demolition company $200 for polluting the air as it tears down Smith Foundry, an iron caster that closed last year under pressure from neighbors.

The crew from the company Bolander have been pulling down the building with an excavator since late February. In the weeks since, neighbors nearby have complained about dust escaping the site. But last week, a video taken from above with a drone showed clouds of gray dust floating past the boundaries of the property.

“Who’s to tell what is happening to the people who live right next door?” asked Luke Gannon, a neighbor and member of the community group EPIC.

Representatives of Bolander did not respond to email and phone messages. The video shows workers spraying water during demolition to keep the dust down, but a cloud still billows above the worksite.

Smith Foundry closed last year after an EPA pollution investigation and settlement that required it to shutter its furnace. Neighbors celebrated the closure after months of organization and pressure, but the demolition caught many people off guard.

Devon Cupery, who said she was a community journalist tracking polluting sites in the Twin Cities, took the footage from above the foundry on March 14.

It’s unclear exactly what is in the dust cloud seen in Cupery’s video.

A report prepared by a contractor in advance of the demolition, and later sent to the city, notes that measurable arsenic, barium, chromium and lead were found in sand that was previously used to mold molten iron. Some volatile organic compounds known to be harmful to human health, like benzene, were also found.

That material may not have been on site when wrecking started, however; the report notes that it was compiled to determine how to handle the materials “in preparation for future demolition.” A copy of Bolander’s wrecking permit indicates the company planned to knock down the building first, and then do additional testing before removing the foundation.

When the work began in February, Jess Olstad, a spokeswoman for the city, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that city monitors reported “the demolition is being done with care, and crews are mitigating dust control.”

On Thursday, Minneapolis Health Department Spokesman Scott Wasserman said the city had issued the $200 citation to the construction company in response to dust drifting away from the property on March 14.

“The Health Department is monitoring the site daily and has required the contractor to cease demolition activity if winds are above 15 mph or if visible dust leaves the site. Bolander has been responsive and cooperative during this process,” Wasserman wrote in an email.

Cupery said several prior updates from the city of Minneapolis had indicated that nothing was floating above the worksite.

“There’s clearly a lot of dust,” she said. “That feels troubling to me, that the narrative is not accurate.”

She also asked why state officials had not stepped in.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokeswoman Becky Lentz said that responsibility for the demolition lies with Minneapolis. The city reviewed and approved Bolander’s demolition permit.

“We are continuing to track the air monitors in the area; to date, they have not shown an increase in [fine particulates] as a result of the demolition,” Lentz wrote in an email.

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez said he had asked city staff to pause the work entirely until a better dust management plan was in place. He also requested a camera be placed at the site to capture any future violations.

Olstad said there are no plans right now for city staff to issue a stop-work order, but she said demolition work at the site is expected to finish April 4.