Toxic Solvents Drive Plan To Add 3 Sites To Minnesota Cleanup List

ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is moving to add three contaminated sites across Minnesota to the state’s Permanent List of Priorities, citing toxic solvent contamination and the absence of a legally responsible party able or willing to complete cleanup work.

The proposed additions include two former dry-cleaning sites and a former manufacturing facility in St. Paul, Rochester, and New Hope. The list identifies locations that require long-term investigation and remediation to protect human health and the environment.

The sites proposed for addition are

• Selby Avenue and Grotto Street North in St. Paul, the location of a former dry cleaner
• Dison’s Cleaners and Launderers in Rochester, also a former dry-cleaning site
• Electronic Industries in New Hope, a former circuit board manufacturing and metal plating facility

According to the MPCA, all three sites have documented contamination and lack a viable responsible party to conduct further site investigation and cleanup.

The two former dry-cleaning sites are contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE, also known as PERC) and trichloroethylene (TCE), solvents commonly used in dry cleaning and industrial degreasing. The agency said the chemicals can pose risks through vapor intrusion into buildings and groundwater contamination.

At the Selby and Grotto site in St. Paul, the MPCA evaluated 40 nearby buildings after detecting elevated PCE levels and installed vapor mitigation systems in 20 buildings. Additional mitigation systems will be installed as needed.

At Dison’s Cleaners and Launderers in Rochester, the MPCA has installed a vapor mitigation system, conducted soil vapor testing, and continues to test nearby buildings for potential vapor intrusion.

The Electronic Industries site in New Hope is contaminated by a TCE release from an underground storage tank, affecting soil, soil vapor, and groundwater. The MPCA required groundwater treatment and soil vapor extraction at the site. The City of New Hope later redeveloped the property and installed a soil vapor extraction system that has operated continuously since 2006.

The MPCA said it has been working on all three sites for several years and will continue investigating contamination, developing cleanup plans, and carrying out remediation once the sites are formally added to the priority list.

Long-term exposure to PCE has been linked to adverse health effects and may cause cancer, according to the agency. Exposure to TCE can affect the immune, reproductive, liver, kidney, and central nervous systems, and long-term exposure may also increase cancer risk.

Public comments on the proposed additions are open through Jan. 15, 2026. After the comment period closes, the MPCA will review and respond to submitted feedback before deciding whether to add the sites to the Minnesota Permanent List of Priorities.