Gopher Resource Hopes to Meet EPA Emission Standards

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the accurate measurement of micrograms of lead.

In 2010, Dakota County was listed as one of 16 counties in the country that had too much lead in the air for the Environmental Protection Agency's standards.

As it turns out, Eagan's Gopher Resource, which recycles lead acid batteries and is located at the intersection of Yankee Doodle Road and Highway 149 in Eagan, had lead measurements of .70 µg/m3 (micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air).

While that number is well below the previous standard of 1.5 µg/m3, in 2008 the EPA revised the lead standard to a lower level of .15 µg/m3.

"Exposure to lead early in life has been linked to effects on IQ, learning, memory and behavior. Reducing levels of lead pollution is an important part of EPA’s commitment to a clean, healthy environment," according to the EPA.

Gopher Resource has until the end 2015 to come into compliance, which requires that they report three consecutive years of test results at or below the allowable level of lead emissions.

Gopher Resource Chief Operating Officer, John Tapper says, although the revised standard is “a tight number” and air is difficult to manage, “we’ll get there.”

Air Quality Monitoring

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has a monitor installed at Gopher Resource that takes a 24-hour sample every six days. Gopher Resource also has their own monitors taking air samples on the same schedule.

According to Cassie McMahon, MPCA air quality specialist, the agency has monitors in 18 locations throughout the state as part of its toxic metals program. They also monitor three specific business sites, including Gopher Resource, that are permitted to emit one-half ton of lead per year.

McMahon says the emissions at the Eagan processing plant, which is a by-product of recycling lead acid batteries, are the highest of the three.

That said, McMahon also states that "ambient lead concentrations near Gopher Resource have been steadily declining since the revised lead standard was announced in November 2008. In response to the revised standard Gopher Resource made significant investments in improving their pollution control equipment and dust management practices to ensure the area surrounding the facility meets the new standard." 

That investment added up to almost $3 million in new equipment, including large HEPA filters and a doubling of the amount of negative air pressure in the processing building. Negative air pressure ensures that air leaves the building only by going through the installed filters.

Starting the clock over again

Gopher Resource had successfully recorded 10 consecutive quarters of measurements below the new standard when equipment failures led to measurements that required a three-year compliance cycle to start over.

According to Stephen Yates, Gopher Resource environmental health and safety officer, the emissions spike was traced to two causes.

One, a hole in a pipe that caused a leak, was fixed and the company now has a policy in place to include a metal thickness test every six months when performing scheduled maintenance.

The other was the result of negative pressure in some piping that allowed lead to escape. Yates said the company has since installed a differential pressure monitor that will sound an alarm anytime negative pressure is detected. 

Yates says he is extremely confident that Gopher Resource will consistently meet and maintain the new standard well in advance of the deadline.

But meeting the standard is not enough for Tapper, who said he prefers to come in at 90 percent of the allowable maximum. Another half million dollars is budgeted for additional safeguards.

According to Tapper, Gopher Resource - which also recycles plastics and owns the Recycling Zone - boasts the lowest emission rate in the industry and actually leads the industry in environmental compliance and environmental stewardship.

Surrounding areas

When asked if the MPCA tests for lead in the surrounding neighborhoods, McMahon said that, after an episode of above-threshold emissions at the site in the 1990’s, the agency took samples from adjacent parcels of land and found no cause for alarm. They currently have no plans to perform additional testing and, to her knowledge, Dakota County has no reports of increased levels of lead in blood.

According to Tom Hedges, Eagan city administrator, the city has no regulatory authority over Gopher Resource. Hedges said his staff received the results of the testing done in the ‘90s and they were confident the lead contamination was confined only to the company’s property.