Anoka ammunition plant’s high lead levels unnerves neighbors

Residents seek answers on plant lead emissions

The Anoka Federal Ammunition plant was the subject of a Wednesday community meeting where residents demanded to know if the plant was creating a hazardous environment.

ANOKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Homeowners in Anoka are demanding answers this week, after investigators determined a local gun ammunition manufacturer is releasing high levels of lead into the air.

"I live three houses down and I didn’t receive anything in the mail, or any updates or notices about it," neighbor Francessca Feldhausen told FOX 9. "That makes me uncomfortable. It’s not like I can up and sell and move my house right now, especially with the housing economy."

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it will monitor air quality at Federal Ammunition for at least three years, after investigators discovered lead emissions exceeding federal safety standards several times in 2023.

The levels have since fallen back into compliance.

"We have a filter that’s been installed recently, it’s an extra layer of filtration… We hired an external firm to help us with monitoring and modeling on emissions," Jason Nash with Federal Ammunition told FOX 9 after a community meeting on Wednesday. "We’ve been here for more than 100 years, and we want to be a great neighbor. We want to be here for another 100 years, and that means we’ve been cooperating properly with the agencies."

Once the investigation is complete, Federal Ammunition will be required to changes ensuring it stays in compliance with federal standards.