The Minnesota Senate passed legislation today to clean up the hazardous waste pit at the Waste Disposal Engineering (WDE) Landfill in Andover. The bill, co-authored by Senator Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

“The landfill in Anoka is the most severe pollution issue in the state, and the state has continued to pass the buck with duct tape solutions,” said Senator Jim Abeler. “Today’s vote allows Minnesota to solve this problem once and for all, protecting residents and the community and restoring confidence that local drinking water will be safe now and in the future.”

Anoka County’s WDE Landfill is unique in Minnesota, as it is the only mixed municipal solid waste landfill that was ever permitted for disposing of hazardous waste in the state. In 2011, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were discovered leaking from the hazardous waste pit. Systems are now in place to control contamination leaking from the barrels that were dumped there, but these systems are expensive costing the state $600,000 a year. Additionally, the systems are preventative and do not clean up the actual source of the pollution raising the question of what consequences would emerge if they were ever to fail. Further compounding the issue is that the landfill is now largely surrounded by residential areas, including schools, making the project the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) top priority among the 110 landfills observed in its program.

With passage in the Senate, the legislation still must clear hurdles in the House and Governor Walz. Once passed, the MPCA believes it can complete the project within the next year with work beginning in fall of 2019.