VIRGINIA — Garbage hauled to the St. Louis County Landfill in Virginia won’t just be waste anymore.
County leaders unveiled the landfill’s new geothermal energy field Tuesday, Nov. 12. The geothermal field and the planned wastewater treatment plant it will heat are both the first of their kind in Minnesota.
“I’ve been in this business for about three decades now, and it’s about as exciting as waste management can get,” said Dave Fink, environmental services director for St. Louis County.
Fink said the idea for geothermal came during a visit to the County Government Services Center in Virginia, which uses solar and geothermal energy.
"I was just asking them about it because I know waste breaks down — organic waste in [a municipal solid waste] landfill — from 90 to about 120 degrees," Fink said.
"I said, ‘There’s a lot of heat to be captured there, and this wastewater treatment plant is going to need a lot of heat and a lot of energy.”
The plant will be built about a quarter-mile from the landfill and is expected to be finished in 2026. It will treat leachate, the liquid that passes through a landfill and picks up contaminants like PFAS or forever chemicals in the process.
PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are used in nonstick cookware, outdoor gear, food packaging and more. They're known as forever chemicals because they can take hundreds or thousands of years to break down.
The St. Louis County landfill currently treats between 5 million and 6 million gallons of leachate each year, containing it in two large holding ponds and then dispersing it over large grass fields.
The new wastewater plant will instead treat the leachate using a system of filters and other technology. Fink said it's just another layer of environmental protection.
"In this area, where we have the cleanest water in the state, we want to make sure we protect it," said St. Louis County Board Chair Keith Nelson in a news release.
"I am so proud of our staff for their forward-thinking work to remove forever chemicals from leachate at our landfill."
The release said the whole project is a blueprint for future waste management facilities, like the new one planned for Canyon.
The new landfill cell cost $3 million, and the geothermal liner only added $33,000 to that total. It’s expected to pay for itself within the first year of operation.
Fink said the County Board's support for the project was essential, and Nelson credited his fellow commissioners for their support in the release.
"While others question the cost of doing something, we are asking, 'What is the cost of not doing something?'" he said.
A number of lawsuits over the use of PFAS and resulting water contamination have occurred, including against Minnesota-based 3M and DuPont.
The city of Bemidji gained $12 million in the 3M settlement after low levels of PFAS were measured in the city's five water wells, located underneath the Bemidji Regional Airport. Firefighting foam manufactured by DuPont, used in fire department trainings at the airport, was determined to be the source. Late last year, the city agreed to file a claim as part of the class action suit against DuPont.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the first prohibitions of products containing intentionally added PFAS under state law will take effect in Minnesota. The law makes no exceptions for products in 11 categories, nor does it provide extensions to the timeline if no PFAS alternatives are available.
