Public hearing on Water Gremlin permit amendment set for Thursday in White Bear Lake

Soraya Keiser, Pioneer Press
·3 min read

A public informational hearing will be held Thursday by Minnesota Pollution Agency over a proposed change to the air quality permit of a manufacturer of lead sinkers and battery terminals in White Bear Township.

An amendment to Water Gremlin’s permit has been placed on a 30-day public notice and public comment period by the agency. The informational meeting will be from 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday at Century College, 3300 Century Avenue N., in White Bear Lake.

The meeting will start with an open house in the Lincoln Mall at the college, allowing for one-to-one conversations with MPCA staff on the environmental and public health issues. At 7 p.m., in nearby Room E2315, there will be a short presentation by agency staff about the draft amendment followed by a period for questions.

The draft permit authorizes Water Gremlin to conduct a conversion of coaters from a solvent-based system to a non-solvent-based system. Water Gremlin must adhere to more stringent requirements to demonstrate compliance with the permit, including record keeping, calculations, stack testing and reporting, according to the agency.

Water Gremlin had used the solvent trichloroethylene in the manufacturing of lead battery terminals and fishing sinkers.

PUBLIC REVIEW OF DRAFT PERMIT

The public can review the draft permit and provide comments until 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. The MPCA’s Water Gremlin web page provides information about the permit, the upcoming public informational meeting, where to review the permit and how to provide comments online.

Sheri Smith, board member of the White Bear Area Neighborhood Concerned Citizens Group, said she believes that the new permit is long overdue.

“Those closest to this fiasco firmly believe people have been sickened (or worse) by the devastating pollution Water Gremlin imparted into the air, water and soil in the area,” Smith said via email. “We have worked tirelessly on this fiasco — for 3.5 years. It’s time for Water Gremlin to reform and operate their business with concern for human health and the environment.”

On Wednesday, officials with the MPCA said they were not aware of any confirmed illnesses related to the Water Gremlin facility, though the company has been fined millions of dollars for pollution violations.

Water Gremlin will not be presenting at the meeting because it is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and share their concerns, according to the MPCA. The company will instead provide comments through the MPCA website.

STATEMENT FROM WATER GREMLIN

In an statement issued Wednesday, Water Gremlin officials said that they “would like to arrive at a mutually acceptable, safe, environmentally responsible, and sustainable permit.”

The company is proposing to install new coating machines that do not use the harmful chemicals and will reduce emissions; however, they believe that to accomplish this they need a higher limit of emissions while the machines are being installed.

“Our requested limit is still well below even the most conservative assumptions and risk evaluations done by the Minnesota Department of Health, and far below the US Environmental Protection Agency’s risk limit at other sites all around the country,” the company said. “Water Gremlin is also willing to implement reasonable and appropriate levels of ongoing monitoring to reassure the public regarding our operations.”

In 2019, Water Gremlin was fined for a 17-year history of releasing a hazardous solvent into the air. The releases of the solvent, trichloroethylene, peaked at 12 times the legal limit in 2018. The company also was penalized by the state for releasing another form of pollution — lead dust. Lead, a toxic mineral, was tracked out of the factory into the homes of its workers and lead was discovered on the land surrounding the factory.

The company also was fined $325,000 in 2021 after the MPCA determined it improperly cleaned its factory and potentially released pollution outdoors.

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