A state agency made a series of mistakes in handling 24 years of pollution from the Water Gremlin factory in White Bear Lake Township, according to an investigation by the state legislative auditor.
In a report released Thursday, the office tracked errors of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency from 1995 to 2019. Those mistakes contributed to the release of air pollution from Water Gremlin, which manufactures fishing sinkers and battery terminals.
Water Gremlin used trichloroethylene, or TCE, in the manufacturing process. The agency regulates TCE because the odorless fumes can cause cancer.
Water Gremlin applied for a permit in 1995, when it informed the state that it was releasing 23 times the federal threshold defining “major source” TCE polluters. But the MPCA waited until 2000 to issue a permit. It didn’t discover until 2019 that Water Gremlin was continually releasing too much TCE.
Company records showed that pollution peaked in 2018, when Water Gremlin released 12 times the permitted amount — 120 tons of TCE.
The Office concluded that the Agency failed to:
- Regulate TCE emissions from 1995 to 2000.
- Limit the use of the chemical in Water Gremlin’s 2002 amendment to the permit.
- Require testing of pollution-control equipment.
- Inspect the factory, or properly use the company’s self-reported emissions information.
- Investigators later discovered an additional problem — lead from the factory.
Water Gremlin employees accidentally carried lead dust into their homes on their clothing, and high levels of lead were found in 24 of their children.
For the air pollution and the mishandling of lead dust, Water Gremlin was hit with fines and penalties totaling $7 million in 2019.
