3M is paying $850 million to end a years-long lawsuit claiming it contaminated water in its home state of Minnesota…. 3M is paying $850 million to end a years-long lawsuit claiming it contaminated water in its home state of Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, who filed the case against 3M in 2010, announced the settlement on Tuesday.
Her office said in a statement that the money would "be used to finance projects which involve drinking water and the water sustainability."
The case centered on 3M’s production of perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, which were made at plants in Minnesota starting in the 1950s.
The chemicals, once used to make stain protector Scotchgard, among other products, polluted ground and surface water in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, according to the state.
The agency said that while PFCs pose environmental and health risks, they had not caused higher rates of cancer and premature births.
3M has repeatedly said it does not think PFCs has caused health issues in Minnesota.
"We do not believe there is a PFC-related public health issue in Minnesota and look forward to discussing the [Minnesota Department of Health] report with the State during trial," the company said in a statement to the Star Tribune.
3M is a manufacturing conglomerate that makes products like Scotch tape, Post-it notes and ACE bandages.
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"That’s how we do water here."
Rapp lives in the east Twin Cities metro where the groundwater was contaminated by chemicals produced for decades by 3M.
The state alleges that 3M knew decades ago about risks linked to its chemicals that wound up in the groundwater in the east metro.
For decades, 3M legally disposed of waste containing PFCs in landfills in the east metro.
Are PFCs toxic at the levels found in the east metro?
The state’s lawsuit says 3M knew from its own studies that PFCs were potentially toxic, but didn’t report those findings to federal regulators or scientists.
That argument got a boost days before the trial was scheduled to start from the Minnesota Department of Health.
The department released new reports showing it did not find unusually high rates of cancer or adverse birth outcomes in the east metro.
In Minnesota, the Department of Health last year set health advisory limits much more stringent than those of the EPA.
When Joby Randrup and his wife, Amy, bought their Cottage Grove home 13 years ago when expecting their first child, they knew nothing about the water situation.

While it’s been a fairly lackluster year for snow for much of Minnesota until recently, much of the country is dealing with the same sort of issue; lack of moisture.
There have been very few large scale storms over the last couple of months which has led many areas of the country to dive into a drought.
Two thirds of the country are now in some sort of drought conditions, that’s double what it was just 4 months ago.
An eighth of the country is in at least a severe drought which is usually areas that have experienced less than half their normal precipitation over a several month period.
And while there has been some recent relief for parts of the east, the long term pattern through February does not support large scale heavy precipitation across the country so don’t expect this issue to go away anytime soon.
As for the Twin Cities and Minnesota, we are faring far better than most of the country with some abnormally dry conditions for the largely snowless areas of the western side of the state, but the Twin Cities is still in good shape thanks to our foot of snowfall about 10 days ago.
The metro is still officially behind average though, but we have hit the 30” mark for the season.
Season average is 54”.

Because it’s wreaking havoc on our natural environment.
That means only 22 percent of the salt we use is actually doing what it’s applied to do.
And we can see the results of this already – the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reports that groundwater in Minnesota’s urban areas exceeds the state standard for chloride (salt) contamination.
Additionally, they’ve found that 39 bodies of water in the Twin Cities, including Minnehaha Creek, test above the state standard for chloride.
This means that if your groundwater becomes contaminated with chloride, the water from your tap may start to taste a little salty (and removing salt from water is prohibitively costly on a large scale).
Too much salt also can impact your favorite things to do in and around water.
Luckily, this issue has been gaining a lot more attention in the past several years and many public and private organizations are educating individuals and training professionals on smart salting techniques and alternatives.
For the past 16 years a road salt symposium has been hosted each winter in the Twin Cities to share research, innovative technologies and trainings for winter maintenance professionals and concerned citizens.
Another proposed solution we are closely watching is limited liability legislation for winter maintenance contractors who are voluntarily certified in smart salting techniques.
We are energized by the progress made to decrease salt pollution in Minnesota, and are proud to be a part of the solution.

The use of road salt has been getting a lot of airtime these past few months. Why? Because it’s wreaking havoc on our natural environment. While salt can control ice and keep us safe during our winter travels, it doesn’t tend to stay where we put it. A University of Minnesota study found that about 78 percent of road salt applied in the Twin Cities winds up in either our groundwater supply or our local lakes, streams, and rivers. That means only 22 percent of the salt we use is actually doing what it’s applied to do. And we can see the results of this already – the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reports that groundwater in Minnesota’s urban areas exceeds the state standard for chloride (salt) contamination. Additionally, they’ve found that 39 bodies of water in the Twin Cities, including Minnehaha Creek, test above the state standard for chloride. What’s the big deal? Well, one teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water. This means that if your groundwater becomes contaminated with chloride, the water from your tap may start to taste a little salty (and removing salt from water is prohibitively costly on a large scale). Too much salt also can impact your favorite things to do in and around water. Chloride is toxic for…

NEW ULM, Minn. — A south-central Minnesota county rejected the state Department of Agriculture’s offer for free nitrate well tests.
Brown County rejected the program in December after residents voiced fears that the data could be used to target farmers for additional regulations, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
“The assumption is that all these nitrates come from farmers and from fertilizer when they’re coming there naturally from the natural break down of organic matter in the soil,” said Greg Bartz, president of the Brown County Farm Bureau.
“So, (we’re) being blamed for something that is not our fault.” Nitrates can come from failing septic systems, fertilizer and animal manure.
High nitrate levels can cause health risks, such as a life-threatening blood disorder known as blue-baby syndrome.
Environmental groups are critical of the county’s decision.
Almost 20 counties across the state have agreed to participate in the program and Brown County is the first to turn it down, said Trevor Russell, program director for Friends of the Mississippi River.
Brown County offers free water testing for families with newborns, county officials said.
The department began the program in 2013 to give homeowners free information about their drinking water and to gather data about the state’s groundwater.
The program focused on about 300 townships vulnerable to nitrate contamination because of farming and soil type.

“Around 150 Caldwell County water customers are under a boil water advisory after a water line break near the town of Granite Falls.
County water customers that live on Dudley Road at Moorelane Park Drive up to Grace Chapel Road and then all of Wike Road are affected.
Those county water customers are supplied by the town of Granite Falls which had a water line break earlier today.
These customers are advised to boil water for consumption or use bottle water until testing can be done to determine if the water is clear.
Updates will be sent out as they occur.” The break occurred on Dudley Avenue across from Bright Beginnings Daycare.
As a precautionary measure, Granite Falls Elementary School and Granite Falls Middle School will boil water for food preparation until testing results determine the water is cleared for consumption.
This is a good time to make sure that you have signed up for CodeRed for future events…to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts.
Examples include: evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports.
As soon as we receive an update from Caldwell County and/or the Town of Granite Falls we will be sure to pass it along.
For the time being, continue to boil water for human consumption if you live in the areas mentioned above.

Legislation would provide a significant increase in funding for the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System project, which when completed will cover a service territory of more than 5,000 square miles and provide drinking water to 300,000 residents and businesses in southwest Minnesota U.S. Sens.
Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, and Al Franken, D-MN, have joined Senators Jon Tester, D-MT, and Steve Daines, R-MT, in the introduction of a bipartisan bill that would invest in critical Minnesota rural water infrastructure projects.
The Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act will invest $80 million annually for the next 20 years to construct and upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Minnesota and across the country.
The legislation would provide a significant increase in funding for the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System project, which when completed will cover a service territory of more than 5,000 square miles and provide drinking water to 300,000 residents and businesses in southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa and southeast South Dakota.
The project is currently 67 percent complete and the three states have prepaid 100 percent of the non-federal cost share.
“Rural water projects play an essential role in providing reliable and safe drinking water to communities across the country,” Klobuchar said.
“This legislation will ensure the Lewis and Clark water project is funded to completion—boosting the economic development and well-being of southwest Minnesota.” “Investing in our rural water infrastructure improves access to clean drinking water while creating a lot of good jobs for working families,” Franken said.
“For years, I’ve fought for funding to finish the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, which would improve local economies across southwest Minnesota.
And this bill would help the project get across the finish line.
We need to get this water—and the economic development benefits that it would bring—flowing to businesses and communities in the region.

Contaminant levels for water at both aquifers were found to be below the acceptable level, according to federal drinking water standards.
This has been the case for Northfield, dating back to at least the 1970s, according to city Utilities Manager Justin Wagner.
The state of Minnesota, as a whole, generally boasts safe drinking water, according to reports from the state’s Department of Health.
Minnesota currently has 6,887 public water supply systems.
Of those systems, 961 are community systems which provide water to people in their homes or places of residence.
The department notes 80 percent of Minnesotans are supplied water through community systems.
There are three basic strategies used to keep drinking water in the state safe: prevention, treatment and monitoring.
In all cases, the Department of Health worked with system providers to fix the problems and reduce any potential contamination.
For example, the maximum level of radium allowable in drinking water, according to Department of Health standards, is 5.4 picocuries per liter.
Estimated typical usage included 20-40 gallons per shower (5 gallons per minute), 6 gallons per toilet flush, 6 gallons per brushing of teeth, 3-5 gallons per shaving, 20 gallons per dish washing, and 5-10 gallons per outdoor watering.

The cost of drinkable water in Cottage Grove keeps increasing — but only for 3M Co.
The costs are for perfluorochemical mitigation projects after two Minnesota agencies — the Department of Health and the Pollution Control Agency — lowered the recommended levels of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water.
The city shut down five wells and reduced pumping for three, enacted a watering ban and created a plan to reintroduce water from affected wells at lower PFC levels.
Travis Carter, public affairs director with 3M counsel Brewer Attorneys, said 3M has spent more than $100 million on various mitigation efforts.
James Kelly, environmental health manager for the Health Department, said he would expect the cost of a Cottage Grove facility to be between $5 million and $10 million.
3M sent a letter last week to the Health Department and Cottage Grove officials contesting total responsibility for PFC levels in city water, saying they could not confirm that all contamination was caused by the company.
Kelly said the Health Department’s “conclusion all along” has been that 3M is responsible for the PFC levels and is therefore responsible for mitigation costs.
Carbon filtration systems, which the MPCA will install in homes on affected private wells, cost several hundred dollars.
“They (homeowners) shouldn’t have to worry about any of those costs,” Krueger said.
This issue was not caused by Cottage Grove.