FMR has long been concerned about Ford Area C, a hazardous waste dump on the Mississippi River floodplain in St. Paul. Now, we're one step closer to planning its future.

Ford Motor Company created the dumpsite, located just north of Hidden Falls Regional Park, before the advent of environmental laws and standards and still owns the site today. Ford has been responsible for checking and reporting on the amounts and types of toxic chemicals that leak from the pile into groundwater.

In 2020, we successfully advocated alongside Capitol Region Watershed District for more thorough groundwater monitoring at Area C. (Read all our prior updates.) We wanted a better understanding of what happens when the river rises high enough to inundate the pile: What leaches from the dumpsite into the river during a flood? The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) agreed to require Ford to expand its monitoring to find out.

When this stretch of the river flooded in the spring of 2023, the new monitoring wells were able to collect the data we've been waiting for. The data showed that flood impacts at the site don't appear to push water contamination levels over state standards, but do show leaching directly into the river.

With this new information in hand, the MPCA will now work with Ford to develop a "feasibility study" to explore different options for cleaning up the site. They'll weigh factors such as environmental risk, cost and community acceptance.

That's where you come in. The MPCA will seek community input on the cleanup options as part of this process. We anticipate that the agency will host a public comment period and community meeting sometime in late 2024 or early 2025. FMR will be there, and we hope you will join us to advocate a responsible cleanup for the river's health and our community.

If you haven't seen the Area C dumpsite before, now is a great time to visit, learn more and prepare to speak up in the months ahead.

Sign up for a free tour of the site in August, September or October led by FMR staff.