West Lakeland Township
Minnesota
TCEInformation Relating to TCE Groundwater Contamination and the Baytown - West Lakeland Township Well Advisory Since 1987, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) have been investigating and cleaning up Trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in groundwater. On May 6, 1988, the MDH issued a "Well Advisory" now known as a "Special Well Construction Area" (SWCA), for parts of Baytown Township and West Lakeland Township, and the city of Bayport, in response to the discovery of volatile organic chemical (VOC) contaminants in private wells in the area. The advisory placed special restrictions on the construction of new wells within the well advisory boundary, and required that well owners conduct additional water testing prior to completing and placing a well into service. The additional construction and water testing requirements were established to assure that persons are not exposed to levels of contamination that exceed health exposure guidelines. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has been the lead agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in investigating and cleaning up the source of the TCE. MPCA also oversees the sampling of private wells in the area and provides treatment systems for private wells that exceed the state’s health based guidance. For more information about MPCA activities, see Baytown Township Groundwater Contamination Site. Properties that were platted after April 9, 2002 are NOT sampled by the MPCA and are not eligible for a state-provided GAC filter system. Instead, these properties are governed by specific township ordinances and periodic testing is required at the homeowners' expense. Out of courtesy, reminder letters are sent to affected residents by the township. For more information on these ordinances or testing timelines, residents should refer to West Lakeland Township Ordinance Section 14 or call the township office (651-436-4773). At present, the TCE plume has been fairly well-identified and most of the affected residents have been contacted. For more specific questions about this contamination issue, please contact the MDH at health.risk@state.mn.us or the MPCA (651-201-5000). The following links also may provide helpful information: Special Well and Boring Construction Areas
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