The MDA is the lead state agency for the cleanup of agricultural chemicals, defined as pesticides and fertilizers. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is the lead agency for cleanup of all other chemicals. These authorities are described in Minnesota Statutes § 115B, the Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act (MERLA -- the Minnesota State "Superfund"). The agricultural chemical cleanup program is administered by the Incident Response Unit, in the Pesticide & Fertilizer Management Division.
Contaminated sites that are ranked high for possible environmental and human health risks, and the party responsible for the contamination is either unable or unwilling to perform the investigation and cleanup, are listed on the Permanent List of Priorities, also known as the Minnesota State Superfund List.
Minnesota State Superfund Cleanup Sites Administered by the MDA:
- Bemidji: Cedar Service Wood Treatment Site
- Big Falls: Page & Hill Forest Products, Inc. Site
- Minneapolis: CMC Heartland Lite Site
- Minneapolis: South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination Site
- Sandstone: Kettle River Company Creosote Plant Site
