PFAS Contamination in Minnesota

Minnesota's PFAS contamination is dominated by 3M Company's historical manufacturing and disposal practices in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The East Metro area, particularly Washington County, has extensive groundwater contamination from 3M's Cottage Grove and Oakdale facilities, where PFAS compounds were manufactured and disposed of for decades. The contamination has affected thousands of private wells and municipal water systems, leading to one of the largest environmental settlements in state history.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been a national leader in PFAS research and regulation, implementing comprehensive monitoring and cleanup programs. Military installations including the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station have additional contamination from firefighting foam use. The state's numerous lakes and the Mississippi River headwaters require protection from expanding contamination sources.