A Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) project was completed for Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge to identify documented and potential contaminant issues which may affect Refuge resources. 

More than 2,300 acres of restored prairie and wetlands have been transferred to the Service from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to comprise the first parcels of the Refuge. 

Most of the remaining acreage within the 35,750-acre project area is still owned and managed by TNC, and is being transferred to the Service as restorations are completed. 

The CAP evaluation identified potential sources and pathways of contaminants to document baseline environmental conditions in this area, provided recommendations to further evaluate the effects of Refuge management on watershed water quality, and noted measures to further protect Refuge resources from contaminant impacts.

Based on the information evaluated, there are no significant documented contaminant problems limiting Refuge resources. However, several potential contaminant issues at the Refuge include ditching systems as both a potential source and pathway of agricultural chemicals and other contaminants, the effects of historical agricultural (field and livestock applications of pesticides, farmstead spills, etc.) and gravel mining land uses as land cover and hydrology are restored in the project area, and spills of oil and hazardous materials being transported along the railroad bisecting the Glacial Ridge project area and roads bordering the Refuge.

CAP recommendations included further evaluations of water quality and hydrology to document the response of environmental contaminants (fate, transport, and effects) to the restoration of prairie and wetland habitat, and their supporting hydrologic processes, at Glacial Ridge (investigation is currently in progress), spill contingency planning efforts to coordinate specific response measures to minimize impacts from future spills, and outreach efforts to incorporate water quality information to help the public understand and support the resource management actions the Service is implementing to address the watershed land use and water quality issues at Glacial Ridge.