No health threat from mud left behind by Fond du Lac flooding

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Testing found no health threat to residents of Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood from mud left by flooding, a state agency reported Friday. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency tested sediments left by the June flood after residents expressed concern that dangerous levels of contaminants might have been left, the agency said in a news release. One concern was that contaminants behind the Forbay Dam might have washed over their properties.

The agency hired an environmental contractor that collected sediment from five neighborhood properties, which were then tested by a certified laboratory in Minneapolis, the news release said. The MPCA received the report on Wednesday that metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were at very low or nondetectable levels, said Susan Johnson, the agency’s Superfund project manager.

“It does not appear that the source of the mud sampled in the Fond du Lac area is a contaminated area or reservoir,” Johnson said.

The MPCA’s latest advisories for the flood-affected areas are available by calling (218) 302-6660. Beach advisories are online at www.MNBeaches.org.

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