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MPCA reveals environmental results for Byron business


By Patrick Shumaker

Mon, Mar 11th, 2013
Posted in Byron Government

The Minnesota Pollution control Agency (MPCA) revealed results from a recent investigation showing that the Capri Beauty Salon building located at Fourth Street & Byron Avenue North is indeed contaminated. A substance called tetrachloroethene also known as PCE was found at ground level and in the soil. There is concern that the PCE is affecting the facilities air quality and ground water. The site housed a dry-cleaning business 40 plus years ago and this pollution can allegedly be traced back to that business. PCE contamination is known to be a by-product of the chemicals used in the dry-cleaning business at the time. Other past tennants of the 3,800 square-foot building have been: a pet grooming business, restaurants, and a grocery store.

The site is one block away from a school and has both commercial and residential neighbors. In November of 2011 a Feasibility Study showed that the installation of a permanent vapor mitigation system would not be a solution due to the buildings older design. The State of Minnesota has decided to go ahead with plans to purchase the property. The current plan is to demolish the building and remove the impacted soil. What is still up for debate is what then will become of the property. Byron City Council member Jason Snow announced “I would rather see just a nice grass lot instead of gravel or blacktop at this site in the future.”

MPCA official Project Manager Nile Fellows stated that “because the contamination is fairly shallow, we are confident that the affected soil can be removed effectively.” Byron resident Marley Ayres, an Environmental Consultant expressed concerns about the situation. “When you see a superfund site in your neighborhood - the people living there should be concerned,” Ayres said. “The MPCA study did not incorporate any mention of enhanced reductive dechlorination or ERD. This should be looked at before the removal of the contaminated soil, I think we need to look more at what to do with the ground before we get too far with this. The point is that the proposed MPCA action and the one that they have picked will only temporarily take care of the problem. If they dig it out and put clean fill in there, what happens if it becomes contaminated again? I feel that basically the MPCA tested the indoor air quality. What they didn’t do was to drill a hole under the concrete slab to see what may be underneath this particular building,” Ayres added.

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