Return to Archived Stories

An estimated 450 to 500 cubic yards of tire shreds had been buried, according to the Stearns County Environmental Services, which is handling the county's investigation.

All kinds of laws prohibit such a burial of a potentially hazardous item, said Don Adams, director of the Stearns County Environmental Services. County officials are particularly concerned with water leaching through the soil and the shredded tires. They also do not know the extent of the material that was buried; some of it may contain ash and other debris.

The site was formally owned by the Monitor Tire Company of St. Martin, but was sold a year ago to Neil Arceneau, according to Art Binsfeld of Monitor Tire.

Adams said the burying of tires has been stopped and the county's main concern is a proper cleanup of the site. He said he has had preliminary conversations with Arceneau. The county, he said, was expecting the cooperation of both the current and previous owners.

The next step, said Adams, will be a meeting with the county, the owners, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which was in charge of permitting the site when it was a tire recycling facility and is conducting a joint investigation with the county.