The Nutting Truck and Caster Company operated an 8.6-acre manufacturing facility in Faribault, Minnesota from 1891 to 1984. Between 1959 and 1979, the facility disposed of waste solvents and sludge in a seepage pit. That practice contaminated soil and groundwater with trichloroethylene, or TCE. TCE concentrations in shallow groundwater reached 570 parts-per-billion, far above the federal drinking water limit of 5 ppb. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List, or NPL, in September 1984.
The responsible party built a groundwater extraction and treatment system starting in 1987. The system pulled contaminated groundwater to the surface, removed volatile organic compounds, and discharged the treated water under a permit. In 2003, the cleanup target for TCE was lowered to 5 ppb to match federal drinking water standards. The extraction wells were shut down in 2004 after off-site compliance wells met that target. Physical construction of the cleanup was completed in September 1992, and long-term response actions continued through December 2009.
EPA determined that human exposure is under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated use status in September 2010. A Record of Decision issued that same month confirmed no further action was needed. EPA proposed deleting the site from the NPL in September 2017, and the deletion became effective on November 24, 2017, after nearly 40 years of investigation, cleanup, and monitoring.
The site is now in active commercial and light industrial use. Prairie Avenue Leasing owns the property and leases it to JBJ Manufacturing, a welding and machine shop employing 15 people. Institutional controls remain in place, including zoning restrictions that prevent residential use and other land uses inconsistent with the cleanup level. Groundwater monitoring continues to confirm that TCE stays within the original area of contamination.
Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available for public review at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency office at 520 Lafayette Road North in St. Paul, Minnesota.
