North Shore project fined for runoff

A Cook County agency and a contractor were fined last month for polluting water during construction work in Grand Marais, according to a recent news release by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The Cook County and Grand Marais Joint Economic Development Authority had taken out a storm-water permit for a project at Cedar Grove Business Park. KGM Contractors Inc. worked on the project. More than a dozen inspections found sediment-laden storm water discharging into wetlands, waterways, the sewer system and Lake Superior. The agency and contractor agreed to pay a $40,000 fine, comply with MPCA requirements and spend $80,000 to remove sediment from a culvert along the Gunflint Trail and stabilize 330 feet of ditch nearby. Read the full news release here.