Contaminants have again been found behind Superior Plating.
Emergency crews were out Wednesday cleaning up what is likely chromium–contaminated water found near railroad tracks behind the northeast Minneapolis plant.
In late December, a resident spotted something similar at the plant on 315 1st Av. NE. The discovery prompted city workers to block off streets, the state to rush in a cleanup crew and the Northstar Line to temporarily be halted forcing Metro Transit to put hundreds of train passengers on buses instead.
There wasn't as much of a scene this time at the now shuttered metal finishing plant. On Monday morning, city fire crews were at the plant for about 30 minutes, said Assistant Fire Chief Cherie Penn. Contractors hired by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) were working to cleanup the substance Wednesday and will also be out there Thursday, said Pam McCurdy, an agency spokeswoman.
She said there wasn't an immediate health hazard to neighbors.
The Superior Plating property has been identified by the Superfund program as a hazardous site. According to the MPCA, the soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with heavy metals and solvents.
Because the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November, it couldn't pay for the emergency cleanup in December. Instead, money from the cleanup came from the Superfund program. The amount of December's cleanup cost wasn't immediately available Wednesday.
