August 22, 2025

“In early 2025, through Gopher Resource’s internal testing protocols, we became aware of elevated readings of ambient lead on one of our air monitors located near our facility. We immediately notified the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and investigated the cause. We determined that a piece of equipment had malfunctioned, and we promptly took it out of service. We have implemented design enhancements to our equipment and operational improvements to prevent this from happening again, and as confirmed by the MPCA, the issue has been resolved, and air monitoring results have returned to levels well below the applicable standards.

The MPCA has identified a small area of potential impact for this event that extends 500 feet from the fence line of the Gopher Resource facility. The City of Eagan contracted with an independent environmental laboratory to collect 40 soil samples across wide active use areas at three city park locations near the facility: Thresher Off-Leash Dog Park and Thresher athletic fields – both of which are either completely or partially located within the 500-foot zone outside the fence line of Gopher Resource – and Burr Oaks Park. All results are well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) residential soil threshold for concern. This means the lead levels found in these parks are considered low and not a health concern under current EPA guidelines.¹ At recent virtual and in-person community meetings, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) also indicated that typically it does not see increases in blood lead levels from this type of air release alone and stated that it is not advising doctor visits solely due to this event.² Gopher Resource continues to actively work with the MPCA and remains in compliance with all federal and state environmental regulations for lead emissions.

At the center of our mission is our core value: protect people and communities. This commitment drives every decision we make, and we deeply regret the inconvenience and concern that this incident has caused the Eagan community.”

 

For media inquiries, contact us at info@gopherresource.com.