GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — A Minnesota company that for years has faced scrutiny over various state pollution control and regulatory violations has announced it's gone bankrupt.
Water Gremlin, which makes fishing sinkers and battery terminals, announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday.
"Chapter 11 will also provide an appropriate forum for definitively resolving pending litigation related to the Company's past use of the solvent TCE in its manufacturing process," said the company in a release.
The White Bear Township-based company agreed to a $7 million settlement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in 2019, which was one of the largest environmental penalties in state history.
At the time, the agency said it discovered the company was releasing fumes of the industrial solvent TCE at levels that could pose a risk to human health within a 1.5-mile radius of the facility.
According to a statement from the company, it has since ceased the use of TCE chemicals and brought its "facilities, operations and health and safety policies and procedures" to meet the state's regulatory standards.
Additionally, Ramsey County Public Health investigators determined at least 12 children of employees at Water Gremlin had elevated blood lead levels, including two that indicated a particularly serious health risk for children.
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