Waite Park Wells

Overview

Waite Park Wells is a Superfund site covering roughly 200 acres across Waite Park and St. Cloud, Minnesota. It was listed on the National Priorities List in June 1986 after volatile organic compounds (VOCs) turned up in the city's municipal drinking water wells in December 1984. Two former industrial properties drove the contamination: the Electric Machinery site, a former gas turbine and electric generator manufacturing facility, and the Burlington Northern Car Shop, a former railcar maintenance facility.

Contaminants vary by area. The Electric Machinery area contains chlorinated solvents in groundwater, including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloroethene. The Burlington Northern Car Shop area has a broader mix spread across groundwater, soil, and solid waste. That mix includes metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and some of the same chlorinated solvents found at the Electric Machinery area. In February 2022, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were also detected in the municipal wells, and EPA is investigating whether the Superfund site is the source.

Cleanup actions have been extensive. An air stripping system installed in 1986 removes VOCs from the drinking water supply, and the city's wells returned to service in February 1988. Remedial work has also included groundwater pumping and treatment, soil excavation, soil vapor extraction, and containment of hazardous waste. Construction at the Burlington Northern Car Shop operable unit finished in September 1999. The Electric Machinery operable unit is now the subject of a new combined remedial investigation and feasibility study, with completion estimated between November 2026 and January 2027 and a new Record of Decision expected by late 2027. Operation and maintenance at the Waite Park Wells operable unit is expected to continue through early 2028.

The most recent five-year review was completed in May 2025. That review could not confirm whether the site fully protects people and the environment. Additional PFAS sampling is needed, and vapor intrusion near the Electric Machinery site still requires assessment. EPA expects to complete this work by April 2027 and will document a final protectiveness determination in a Five-Year Review Addendum at that time. Human exposure pathways and groundwater migration status both lack enough data for firm conclusions. Property use restrictions remain in place to prevent exposure to contaminated soils, and residential development is prohibited on portions of the site.

Despite ongoing cleanup, portions of the site have been redeveloped. Burlington Northern transferred 126 acres to the City of Waite Park, which developed 42.1 acres into River's Edge Park. A warehouse, restaurant, and office buildings make up West River Business Park. As of December 2024, 27 on-site businesses employed 763 people. Community members with questions can contact the EPA Remedial Project Manager or the MPCA.