The Red Wing City Council has agreed to pay a $27,000 fine for pollution violations at its garbage incinerator, but it could have been much worse.
The original fine was $270,000 when the incinerator failed emissions tests, but the city installed a new $4 million cleaning system, pleasing the EPA, which finally agreed to lower the fine to $27,000.
The incinerator had failed several EPA emissions tests between 2005 and 2009 — once for cadmium and three times for mercury, said the Red Wing Republican Eagle. In 2008, the city council approved the cleaning system, which seems to be working because the incinerator has passed two tests this year.
