St. Regis Paper Co.

Overview

The St. Regis Paper Company site is a 163-acre former wood-treatment facility in Cass Lake, Minnesota, located within the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation. The facility operated from the 1950s to the 1980s. It has been on the federal Superfund National Priorities List since 1984. Cleanup work is ongoing and construction is not yet complete.

The site is contaminated with creosote, pentachlorophenol, dioxins and furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic, metals, and phenol. These contaminants are found in groundwater across four areas of the site, as well as in residential soils and house dust. Groundwater contamination is actively migrating and has not stabilized. Human exposure status has not yet been determined due to insufficient data.

Early cleanup in the late 1980s included extending municipal water to nearby residents and excavating over 42,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sludge. Groundwater extraction systems were installed and continue to treat 7,300 gallons per hour. In 2020, EPA selected a $21 million plan to excavate contaminated residential soil, replace it with clean soil, and bury the removed material on site under a protective liner. In May 2021, EPA issued orders to International Paper and BNSF Railway to carry out remedial design and cleanup work at residential properties. Interim measures such as home cleaning, yard cover, and road dust suppression are ongoing. Institutional controls restrict private water wells and limit land uses. Residential soil cleanup is estimated to finish between March and May 2028. Investigation of the Fox Creek Valley and the north area groundwater plume is continuing.

EPA completed a five-year review in July 2025. Previous reviews found that response actions protect public health in the short term, with full protection expected after all planned cleanup actions are finished. The site has one active business and is not yet ready for anticipated reuse. A Reuse Assessment is being updated in partnership with community stakeholders and the Leech Lake Band's Brownfields Program.

Community members can get involved through a Community Advisory Group (CAG) that EPA is forming to give residents a voice in cleanup decisions. EPA also publishes a biannual newsletter in both English and Ojibwe. To join the CAG or ask questions, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents are available online at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/st-regis-paper or in person at the Leech Lake Tribal College Library in Cass Lake.