Pollution concerns cloud future of Ford site

Redevelopment of the Ford Motor Companys 138-acre site on the Mississippi River has been termed one of City of Saint Pauls greatest opportunities. It could also become one of its greatest headaches if pollution issues prove too extensive to allow redevelopment to proceed quickly when the plant closes in 2008.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is currently reviewing a company report on pollution at the site, and will require Ford to do field testing for the next few years as the plant comes down. The report identified numerous sites that need further investigation because they were used to store and dispose of a variety of chemicals, paints and solvents during the plants 84-year history. Some of the pollutants the company will be testing for are known carcinogens, and extensive clean-up would be required if those areas were slated for residential development.

The City of Saint Paul convened a task force earlier this year and the group will be coming back together this fall to discuss environmental review and financial feasibility for five development scenarios they selected last spring. Pollution issues will likely be a hot topic of discussion and continue to cast uncertainty on the process and future uses of the site.

Ford has expressed its intention to fully investigate and clean up any pollution found on the site, and the City and MPCA will need to ensure they do. Citizens would be wise to closely track the pollution investigation and clean-up. A recent article in the New York Times reported that the site of a former Ford plant in New Jersey is plagued by public health issues decades after the plant closed.

Recent coverage

Can Ford Clean Up After Itself? New York Times, 29 July 2007. (TimesSelect membership or single article purchase required.)