6.3. SR 07-09-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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v ;. ~ ~ ~ ' Ar€icle by: ~A;..a~ei~ l~i..A~{~ Star ~"ribune c~ctober ~ , 2~i ~ R - : ~ £~ €~ is, the ~ mants~s since'~l~ite dear l~asce became the first iinnesota city to forbid a cowman type of driveway sealant, about a dozen others have followed, as evidence mounts that chemicals from the seaiants are creating a hazardous anti expensive problem in storm~water ponds. 'l-he bans on coal-t:ar seaiants apply to homeowners who seal their own driveways ants contractor s who apply seaiants commerciail~y. both are now expected to choose safer, asphalt based sealers. Although the sealant industry disputes the findings, research by the Minnesota saollution Control Agency snows a connection between coal-tar sealants pu€: on driveways anti parking iota and the A='Ahes l;~oiy aromatic hydrocarbons that are showing up in cit~r storm-water ponds, said ton merger, state program administrator of storm4water policy in the -'CA's municipal division. the ~'Ahes are believed to be harmful to humans, ~~sh and other art~atic ilfe. ""data we have collected over the last year indicate that there is a good percentage of these poiiatants tied to coal~tar seaiants," verger said. " ~ he l%v~~'CA wll= continue to support municipalities who choose to phase Out the use of coal-tar-based sealants to reduce a known source of contamination to storm-water collection systems," he said. nth an estimated 2~,~ storm ponces in the metro area, cities are discovering that many pontes contain i~Ahes. because the INCA repuires cities to keep storm ponds clean and in good working order, and to dispose of contaminated pond sediment in specific ways, some cities face astronomical storm-water costs. indeer~, the cities that !lave outlawed the sealants have done so era becorne eligible for li'CA cleanup grants. Circle Fines put a ban in place and received 5,~Q from the state to help pay ~ l~l~,0i~~ in pond sediment disposal costs, said City Administrator Jim l~einath. Inver drove heights, the latest city to forbid use of the seaiants, also is counting on a grant aver its ban takes effect, City engineer `l^om l~aldunski toil City Council members. After testing dust 'l2 of the city's 57 storm-wafer ponds, he has found three ponds with contaminated sediments -- two with such high levels of la,~,i•les that the`y' must be disposed of in a sanitary landfill at a cost ranging from e2t~,~~9 to ~~,f~C?4. "very city is in the same situation -- it's a huge problem," said ~}t#hite bear l-ake public works director mark i~urc. Before the end Of the year, an 1.~~~:A wOCk Cr01~ IS ex~eCted ~0 release neW reSeSrGh and reCOrnmendasOns ~0 IVe Ci~:ieS further options for disposing of pond sediments. industry dispr~tes l'CA claim `i"~e ICA is taiicing with the ~'avement Coatings ~'echnoiogy Council -~ which represents the sealant industry _- in hopes of encouraging the group to voluntarily phase out the material. Anne iael-luray, executive director of the group, said the council will look over the ~t~CA's latest research, but "it remains our view -- and i think we have the science o back it up -- that the original claim made by €I~CA is incorrect."