Waite Park To Take Part in Lawsuit Over PFAS Contamination

(KNSI) – The Waite Park City Council agreed to take part in a class-action lawsuit being brought by the Minnesota Rural Water Association and the National Rural Water Association over PFAS contamination.

The city bears no cost for signing onto the litigation, but there is no guarantee of recovery, either. Public Works Director Bill Schluenz says in Waite Park’s case, it will likely be years before they even know who to file against.

“Well MPCA is still — they’re gonna do a study on it, which they even said might take until ’26 to get completed with it.”

Voluntary testing found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances above state recommendations last year. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has only begun to investigate the cause of the contamination.

The only regular agenda item for Monday’s meeting passed the council unanimously. The Ultimate Sports Bar is adding parking. The Waite Park establishment is purchasing a 12th Avenue residential property just to the north of the alley and its existing lot. The business intends to tear down the home, fill in the pool and pave over the space, which should increase capacity by about 45 vehicles.

Planning and Development Director Joe Noerenberg says the lot will not exit onto 12th Avenue North directly, so a couple of changes are being allowed outside of normal city requirements.

“First variance would be to forego the standard 15-foot buffer area that’s between a parking lot and the adjacent property, where a B-2 meets an R-1 district.”

The second variance would be to not require a high fence on the western edge near the road. Noerenberg says some people had safety concerns if they had to park in a lot with no clear line of sight to the surrounding neighborhood.

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