It makes sense that a sandbag poses a similar health risk, he said. Along many portions of the Mississippi, the sandbags must remain in place for another week. Removal will depend on local policy. In Illinois, state workers will provide assistance to small communities. Minnesota and Iowa leave it up to local cities and counties to dispose of the bags themselves.
Officials say there are solutions for polluted sand, however.
Kevin Smith, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, told the Associated Press that the plastic bags will be thrown away. It may go to the Department of Transportation for them to mix it up with cement to repair the shoulders of roads, for example. Obviously, it doesn't go into kids' sandboxes in the backyard. Many communities also have plenty of sandbags that were filled but never used. In Davenport, where 400,000 back-up sandbags sit unused, the city plans to sell the clean bags for 25 cents each, to help defray the cost of the city's temporary levee constructed last month.