Crow Wing County Faces Rising Costs to Treat Landfill Leachate

New MPCA regulations on boron levels force county to haul more leachate to wastewater facility, adding $500,000 in annual costs.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 2:37pm

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Crow Wing County is facing increased expenses to manage leachate, the contaminated water that collects at the county landfill, due to new regulations from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The MPCA is requiring the county to limit the amount of boron in the leachate that is applied to spray fields, forcing the county to begin hauling millions of gallons of leachate to a wastewater treatment facility in St. Cloud at an annual cost of $500,000.

Why it matters

Leachate management is a critical environmental issue for counties that operate their own landfills, as the contaminated water must be properly treated to prevent groundwater pollution. Crow Wing County has historically managed its leachate on-site, but the new MPCA boron limits will significantly increase costs and force the county to seek off-site disposal solutions.

The details

The Crow Wing County landfill has been in operation since 1974, with the county opting to manage its own waste rather than use transfer stations. The landfill collects 3-10 million gallons of leachate annually, which is treated on-site through a chemical process and then applied to spray fields. However, the MPCA recently informed the county that it must limit the amount of boron in the leachate to 4 pounds per acre, down from the previous limit of 6.9 pounds per acre. As a result, the county will need to begin hauling around 4 million gallons of leachate per year to the St. Cloud wastewater treatment facility at an estimated cost of $500,000 annually.

  • In 2024, the MPCA gave the county five years to come up with a solution to get rid of PFAS chemicals in the leachate.
  • In June 2025, the county received a list of items from the MPCA to address, including the new boron limit.
  • In 2025, the county land applied 6.9 pounds of boron per acre.
  • In 2026, the county expects to haul around 4 million gallons of leachate to St. Cloud.
  • In 2027, the county plans to open a new cell (cell six) at the landfill, requiring a $5 million expenditure.

The players

Tom Strack

Environmental services supervisor for Crow Wing County.

Gary Griffin

Land services director for Crow Wing County.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)

The state environmental agency that regulates landfill operations and leachate management in Minnesota.

Crow Wing County

The county that operates the landfill and is responsible for managing the leachate.

St. Cloud

The city that will accept the leachate hauled from the Crow Wing County landfill.

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What they’re saying

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— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident

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— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

What’s next

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The takeaway

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