Coal Tar Legacy in Minnesota Continues Surfacing

By Duane Craig

Superfund  Site in Morgan Park, Minnesota

After $12 million of work the former U.S.Steel mill site at Morgan Park in Duluth Minnesota is coughing up more pollution. Coal tar and heavy oils seep to the surface of the land and are polluting a nearby creek and the St. Louis River.

Cleanup went on throughout the 1980s and 1990s with various areas on the site eventually listed as okay. The work involved digging out parts of the creek and a nearby wetland and sealing other parts of the contaminated land with concrete. Now it is suspected that the original survey didn’t find all the sources of the pollutants so a new investigation is being proposed.

The site is designated as a Superfundsite with the Seaport Authority, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency andU.S. Steel working together to address the contamination. The area covers 500 acres of land and 100 acres of the river.

Superfund Sites In Minnesota

Minnesota has more than 75 sites listed on its state Superfund list with St. Louis County having the second highest number of all counties. Hennepin County has the largest share with 22 inside its borders.

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