MPCA: American Crystal Sugar Company didn't follow wastewater rules
Updated: Aug. 2, 3:45 p.m. | Posted: July 20, 7 p.m.
A prominent sugar and agricultural producer has been found responsible for pollutants in nearby bodies of water in northwestern Minnesota.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency investigation found two American Crystal Sugar Company facilities violated wastewater regulations last year. It cost the plants, headquartered in Moorhead, Minn., over $25,000.
The Crookston, Minn., facility reportedly released high levels of human and animal waste from byproducts in the Red Lake River a dozen times, the MPCA said in a Thursday press release.
Those pollutants take up oxygen in water that keeps aquatic life healthy, said MPCA spokesperson Stephen Mikkelson. Officials did not find dead fish or human impact, likely because the instances happened separately and gave the water time to dilute, he said.
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“Each time there was a potential for harm,” he said. “If it had been one larger release all at one time, it could have been a different story.”
Multiple times since 2021, the Crookston plant let go of wastewater without permission. The MPCA says the biggest release — 70,000 gallons worth — was all within American Crystal Sugar's property.
That wastewater is produced as part of the manufacturing process, Mikkelson said.
“Processing beets takes a lot of water for them to do their operation. The water they use comes into contact with their byproducts — whatever dirt or waste is within those sugar beets, that all has to be treated before they discharge it.”
A different “significant” wastewater release flowed into a public ditch next to the plant “during a spring rain event,” the MPCA said in the release.
“The facility failed to immediately notify the State Duty Officer of one of these releases. Each instance created the potential for harm to the environment,” it said.
The nearby East Grand Forks, Minn., plant let pollutants into the Red River six times last year, some over twice the legal limit.
American Crystal Sugar also failed to analyze enough wastewater samples, the MPCA said — and it had sent off waste when river levels were too low. The investigation also showed the company didn’t properly report data.
The MPCA says American Crystal Sugar has “completed corrective actions.”
Mikkelson said that includes retraining staff on procedures and hiring a consultant to OK future releases.
American Crystal Sugar communications manager Belinda Forknell said record spring rainfall last year contributed to the company’s violations.
“Our factories have a cooperative relationship with the MPCA, working closely with their representatives to ensure our operations are compliant,” Forknell said. “We have addressed the items, and we will continue to cooperate with the MPCA and meet policy requirements.”
This isn’t the first time American Crystal Sugar has had run-ins with the pollution control agency.
Mikkelson said a 2022 interaction stemmed from the Moorhead facility releasing too much wastewater, then not doing corrective actions. The penalty totaled around $15,000, he said.
Dozens of other incidents involving the company have been reported to the MPCA’s What’s In My Neighborhood tracker.