Citizens push for clean-up of Area C

Long-awaited next steps are “imminent” on a polluted riverfront site near the former Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter told about 150 people that during a discussion of Mississippi River and river area issues Oct. 15, 2025.
A crowd filled the Highland Park Community Center auditorium for the meeting, which was sponsored by Friends of the Mississippi River, Highland District Council, West 7th/Fort Road Federation, West Side Citizens Organization and Saint Paul Bird Alliance. Organizers emphasized that the event wasn’t a campaign event or mayoral debate. Carter is seeking re-election this fall and faces four challengers.
Area C was a key focus. Kiki Sonnen, a former city council member, who is now a leader in the Saint Paul Bird Alliance, asked about city involvement in cleaning up pollution at Pig’s Eye Lake and at Area C. Area C is Ford’s former industrial waste dump on the floodplain of the Mississippi River, at the base of the bluff. Land near Pig’s Eye Lake has become a dumping group for various materials over the years.
“Natural areas are a good thing for everyone,” Sonnen said. She called for full city support of clean-up in both areas.
Carter said he “wholeheartedly supports” the idea but while the city supports cleanup, the state is responsible through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Carter and Russ Stark, the city’s chief sustainability officer, said there is a possibly that over time, much of the buried waste at Area C may have already washed downstream.
Area C has been a rallying point for river advocates for many years. The MPCA has worked with Ford on site testing and evaluation, and development of a clean-up plan. The MPCA is expected to choose a clean-up plan for the site in the near future. Carter called that decision “imminent.”
When contacted after the meeting, MPCA Voluntary Investigation and Compliance unit leader Amy Hadaris said the state is preparing to release a feasibility study. A community meeting is planned, likely in January to avoid the holiday season.
The MPCA maintains detailed Area C records. From approximately 1945 through the mid-1960s, Ford disposed of paint sludge and solvents used in automobile painting operations at the base of the bluff. It appears that liquid solvents may have been dumped over the edge of the bluff. Barrels of paint sludge were buried. Disposal of industrial waste stopped in about 1966.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Saint Paul Department of Public Works also disposed of construction rubble, contaminated soil, scrap metal, and other types of debris at Area C in the 1970s and 1980s. Ford capped much of the area in the 1980s.
Samples of industrial waste collected from soil borings and test trenches contained solvents, metals, asphalt-related compounds, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), all related to Ford’s historical painting operations. The following metals were present at high concentrations in the industrial waste: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc. Some samples of industrial waste were found to contain lead.
The area has 20 monitoring wells for continued groundwater testing and tracking. Groundwater near the south slope of Area C shows the highest level of contamination, due to the presence of paint sludge a few feet below ground surface. Rainfall and surface water during floods sinks through the overlying soil in this area and carries pollutants into the groundwater.
Other contaminants found in Area C groundwater include low concentrations of cobalt, mercury, cyanide, and asphalt-related compounds.
Another issue discussed was that of the delays in getting city approval of its Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA), which were supposed to have been complete a few years ago. Saint Paul is the last city to finish its state-required zoning and land use regulations. Carter responded that the city planning commission was to act on MRCAA and start a bird-safe glass study Oct. 17. Those votes passed and the council is to hold a public hearing on MRCCA at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the St. Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Courthouse.
Carter emphasized that the city needs to do more to take advantage of the river and its assets. The wide-ranging session included discussion on everything from bird advocates’ desire for bird-safe glass requirements in new buildings to how river area redevelopment hasn’t always been consistent with neighborhood and city plans. The latter issue is tied to developments on the West Side and on Randolph Avenue in the West End.