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Talking to the MPCA about "The Big Dig"

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Highway 61 is closed for removal of petroleum-contaminated soil. Photo by Rhonda Silence
Highway 61 is closed for removal of petroleum-contaminated soil. Photo by Rhonda Silence

Highway 61 in Grand Marais is definitely a construction zone. Listen to WTIP's first update from the Minnesota Department of Transportation here: Checking in with MnDOT as Highway 61 construction begins

But more is being done than replacing pavement and installing curb and gutters. Soil contaminated by a long-ago gas station is also being removed--2,700 cubic yards of soil. 
 

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Kate Lewison of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the MPCA's part of the project in downtown Grand Marais. Give a listen to learn about the boundaries for the project, about what happens to the contaminated soil and to hear what MPCA thinks of Visit Cook County's naming the work The Big Dig. 
Listen: