We appreciate the efforts of our elected officials and municipalities to find practical solutions that are keeping drinking water safe in our communities. Today we took a deep dive into water challenges with the Mayors of Lake Elmo and Woodbury focusing on contamination of chemicals in the water.
PFAS seeped into the ground water over the decades from 4 disposal sites of manufacturing waste in the east metro area. PFAS is a chemical used in many, many products including scotch guard, clothing and cookware.
In 2018, at the beginning of the search for a solution, many options were considered including pulling surface water from the Mississippi River to treat it as drinking water, but it would have been an extremely costly option. Cities chose instead to use temporary treatment plants for wells in Woodbury and Lake Elmo while plans for more permanent treatment proceeded.
The Attorney General sued 3M which resulted in a $850M settlement in 2018. After attorneys’ fees, $720 M remained for the numerous cities impacted. As it turns out the allotments will cover the capital cost of building treatment plants but not the operating cost.
3M has done research finding it in the blood of employees. Several YouTube videos of investigations by WCCO report the most recent information. Just google WCCO and PFAS.
We learned a lot. For instance, PFAS chemicals are no longer being sold to food manufacturers. It was previously used in some packaging like microwave popcorn packages.
Mayor Anne Burt, Woodbury, MN Mayor Charles Cadenhead, Lake Elmo, MN
Mar 1 Water Issues with local Mayors
View from the Capitol with Rep. Patti Anderson
Everyone’s interest was held as Rep Patti Anderson gave an inside look into what is going on politically at the MN State Capitol. Anderson has a long record of public service and got back into politics as a State Rep in 2023 after seeing the severe decline in safety in cities like Minneapolis. She described the Nov ’24 election, Federally and Statewide, as a repudiation of the far-left policies of the DFL. How the 2026 mid-term election turns out will be impacted by how people feel about President Trump’s agenda. The Trump agenda, especially regarding illegal immigration, crime, spending, education standards etc. is helping to push back on the progressive agenda that was forced on MN through DFL total control. Anderson is hopeful that the bi-partisan MN House Legislative Audit Committee will get support from both sides for HF1, the Fraud Bill, which would require that the Office of the Inspector General answer to the State Legislature instead of the Governor. This change would give objective, non-partisan oversight of spending in order to reduce fraud. If you want to help out with the special election in Roseville, there will be opportunities to volunteer. The special election will probably be held March 11. Contact the MNGOP to inquire about volunteering.
