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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Health assessment for Waite Park ground-water contamination site, Waite Park, Minnesota, Region 5. CERCLIS No. MND981002249. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5252387

Waite Park Water Supply is listed on the National Priorities List. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were discovered in two water-supply wells for the City of Waite Park. Two responsible sources: Electric Machinery (EM) and the Burlington Northern Car Shop (BN) were identified. At EM, solvents were found in an area of soil adjacent to the plant. These chemicals have contaminated local ground water and have migrated to the two Waite Park municipal wells. At BN, soil and ground water are also heavily contaminated with a variety of compounds; but contaminants do not appear to have migrated to the wells. Two areas of soil contamination are of immediate public health concern: a large pile of sandblast sand containing high concentrations of metals, and an area of buried oily type wastes, which may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that have migrated to the soil surface. There are potential health implications for the residents of Waite Park who may have been using the contaminated water for as long as 15 years, and for children playing in the pile of sandblast sand or contacting the oil seeps.

Research Organization:
Minnesota Dept. of Health, Minneapolis, MN (USA)
OSTI ID:
5252387
Report Number(s):
PB-90-107475/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English