Barnesville Closed Landfill (SW-22)

Location: 1045 300th Avenue, Barnesville, Wilkin County, Minnesota 56514

What are the contaminants?

The primary site contaminants are perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and 1,4-dioxane.
These contaminants are industrial chemicals and can harm human health. Five PFAS were detected in one monitoring
well, B-3, and two of those were at concentrations exceeding MDH health-based values. Only a trace amount of two
PFAS were detected in monitoring well B-5.

Where is the contamination?

Groundwater contamination is found at depths of up to 26 feet and the direction of groundwater flow is to the west-
northwest. The highest concentrations of industrial contaminants are located in the area of MW-3 with lower detections
present in MW-5. Naturally occurring concentrations of manganese exceed the MDH drinking water standard. However,
the more elevated concentrations of manganese found in MW-3 and MW-5 may be due to decomposition of organic
waste within the landfill. The elevated concentration of arsenic in MW-6P appears to be naturally occurring due to its
depth, direction, and distance from the landfill waste. The surrounding land use is agricultural and is privately owned.

What is the history of the contamination?

The Barnesville Sanitary Landfill is a closed landfill that was owned and operated by the City of Barnesville and received
waste solely from the City of Barnesville from 1970 until 1978. The landfill received its first operating permit on
September 28, 1970. The last day the landfill received waste was December 1, 1978, and it entered the MPCA’s Closed
Landfill Program on September 5, 1996. The landfill permitted property is 15 acres, 3.9 acres of which contains
approximately 62,284 cubic yards of waste. The MPCA assumed maintenance of the landfill starting in 1992. The State of
Minnesota currently owns the property.

What cleanup work has been done?

Groundwater monitoring started in 1992. There are currently seven monitoring wells surrounding the landfill that make
up the groundwater monitoring network. These wells range in depth from 18 to 89 feet and are sampled periodically to
determine groundwater conditions and assess the risk to receptors. Recently, groundwater sampling has included
contaminants of emerging concern, 1,4-dioxane and PFAS compounds.
There are currently no passive gas vents installed in the landfill waste area. Three gas probes are installed adjacent to
the landfill and are tested regularly to determine the potential for landfill gas to move past the landfill property
boundary.

Site Activities

1970 The City of Barnesville owned and operated the site as a municipal solid waste landfill from 1970 until
1978.
1992 An engineered cover was completed.
1992 Six monitoring wells were installed. Two additional wells have since been installed for a total of seven
wells at the site.
1996 The site entered the MPCA Closed Landfill Program.
2013 An additional monitoring well was installed.
Barnesville Closed Landfill Site Map