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Environmental lands DepartmentMonitoring Projects

Dioxin Monitoring

Dioxin is a potent human carcinogen chemical that is harmful to everyone. It acts as an endocrine disrupter that can cause reproductive, developmental and immunological problems in humans and animals.

The Leech Lake Air Program has had three different monitoring projects, the 48-hour Project, Enhanced Project, and the 2- Week Project. All projects sampled dioxins on the St. Regis Superfund Site (see Superfund Site section of this website for more information). Two samplers are collocated on the St Regis Site and one for background level purposes is sited at the Chatfield Air Site. Three HiVol PUF samplers are used for each of the three projects as seen below.

The 48-hour Dioxin Project capture samples for 48 hours once a month. The project was put together to gather baseline sampling before/during/after Site soil removal actions. This project has recently gone through some simple data analyses that are showing very interesting numbers requiring more intensive analysis.

The Enhanced Dioxin Monitoring Project took place while soil was being removed from the St Regis Superfund Site. This project monitored 24/7 during the soil removal process to study if there were increased exposure to contaminated soils and dioxin contamination. The project was operational Summer 2004 and October 2005.

The 2-Week or Saturation Study was done to observe dioxin levels in a sample after two continuous weeks of sampling, hence saturating the sample. This project was done to gather a saturated sample to do more intensive analysis on.

Mercury Monitoring

Mercury is anelement used in many industrial processes and commercial products. It is a toxic substance that can cause serious harm to human health and at high doses can be fatal. The majority of mercury emissions are produced by fossil fuel combustion and solid waste incineration. These emissions are then transported in the atmosphere and are deposited on the land and waters. It is also the only metal that is liquid at room temperatures.

The Leech Lake Mercury Wet Deposition Sampling Project was established in June of 2003. The goal of sampling for mercury (Hg) is to establish a trend analysis and collect data for a comprehensive Hg risk analysis. We sample for both total Hg and Methyl Hg. Samples are retrieved and set every Tuesday. The monitor is on loan from the University of Minnesota Duluth who also analyzes the samples from Leech Lake.

http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airairpollutantsmercury.html

Meterological Studies

The Meteorological Station was installed July 2002. This station collects ambient temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. In the future we hope to add solar radiation and soil moisture instruments for fire data purposes. We capture the data for historical purposes. One use of the data is in models to track pollution. Data is downloaded once a month.

Contact Us

[email protected]

Name Title Phone
Brown, Levi Environmental Lands Director (218) 335-7417
Toft, Brandy Air Quality Specialist (218) 335-7429
    1-800-442-3922 Toll-free
    (218) 335-7430 Fax