Mississippi River-Chemicals

Levels of a 3-M chemical found in fish in the Mississippi River are declining but are still high in parts of the river, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Results from recent M-P-C-A sampling show levels of a chemical called "P-FOS" are generally falling, but fish between 3-M's Cottage Grove manufacturing plant and the Hastings dam still have higher levels.

The MPCA reported these findings Monday after extensive sampling over the past year of the water and aquatic life from Pool 2, a 32-mile length of the Mississippi between the Ford Dam and Hastings.

The chemicals were manufactured at the Cottage Grove plant and were phased out by 3-M in the early 2000s.