Superfund Sites in Reuse in Iowa
If you are having trouble viewing the map in your browser, click the 'View larger map' link below
Aidex Corp.
For more information:
- Reuse and the Benefit to Community: Aidex Corporation Superfund Site (2015) (PDF)(7 pp, 899 K, About PDF)
- Superfund Site Profile Page
Electro-Coatings, Inc.
The Electro-Coatings, Inc. Superfund site is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In operation since 1947, the Electro-Coatings metal plating plant sits on a 150-acre property along the shoreline of Cedar Lake. The plant currently performs chromium, cadmium, nickel and zinc plating. Improper storage of chemicals and leaking storage vessels resulted in the contamination of soil, groundwater, nearby wells and Cedar Lake. EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. EPA’s 1994 cleanup plan involved groundwater monitoring and pumping of the Hawkeye Rubber Manufacturing Company well, with a plan to install a recovery well, and pump contaminated groundwater to the publicly owned treatment works. EPA also removed contaminated soil and concrete and disposed of it off site.
For more information:
Farmers' Mutual Cooperative
The 6-acre Farmers' Mutual Cooperative Superfund site is an agricultural supply and service business located in Hospers, Iowa. Between 1902 and 1992, the business handled bulk fertilizer and pesticides. In 1984, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources found contamination, including pesticides, in three municipal wells located next to the site. Site investigations linked groundwater contamination to activities at the site. EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. In 1992, EPA decided to allow for the natural breakdown of contaminants in ground and surface water. Based on monitoring, EPA would connect affected residents to a public water supply if needed. In late 1996, the City of Hospers connected residents to the rural water supply. EPA’s cleanup plan allowed the Farmers' Mutual Cooperative to continue operating throughout cleanup activities. In 2001, when sampling confirmed the effectiveness of the remedy, EPA deleted the site from the NPL. The Farmers' Mutual Cooperative, now operating under the name of Midwest Farmers' Cooperative, currently uses the site for grain storage.
For more information:
Iowa City FMGP
The Iowa City Former Manufactured Gas Plant (FMGP) site is located east of downtown Iowa City, Iowa, in a mixed residential and commercial area. The Tri-City Railway and Light Company produced manufactured coal gas at the site from about 1857 through 1937. The Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company ran a service facility until 1971. Other commercial uses continued until 1983, when a new site owner demolished the remaining gas plant structures. The new owner then built a 54-unit apartment building called Iowa Illinois Square on the site. During construction, the property owner found oily wastes. EPA investigated at the site in 2003. In 2004, MidAmerican removed the contents of an underground tank and filled it in. In 2010, after working with site owners and the Iowa City community the monitoring of groundwater and air quality on and around the site began. No current exposures to the community from site waste exist. The Iowa Illinois Square apartments continue to house university students and community members.
For more information:
John Deere (Ottumwa Works Landfills)
The 118-acre John Deere (Ottumwa Works Landfills) Superfund site is located in Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa. The John Deere Company has manufactured agricultural equipment on the site since 1911. From 1911 until 1973, the company disposed of facility-generated wastes on-site by landfilling.. The City of Ottumwa receives its water from the Des Moines River, which is adjacent to the site. EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Under EPA oversight, the John Deere Company conducted an investigation to determine the type and extent of contamination. Based on the results of the 1991 investigation, EPA selected a remedial action which requires John Deere to maintain the site perimeter fence and conduct periodic groundwater and surface water monitoring. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 2000. John Deere continues to manufacture agricultural equipment on the property. Deed restrictions now limit site use to nonresidential activities.
For more information:
LaBounty Site
The 8-acre LaBounty Superfund site is located on the Cedar River floodplain at the southern edge of Charles City, Iowa. Salsbury Laboratories, a manufacturer of veterinary pharmaceuticals, disposed of contaminated wastes at the site from 1953 to 1977. The contaminants threatened surrounding groundwater as well as the Cedar River. The river provides drinking water to about one-third of Iowa's population. In 1981, Salsbury Laboratories placed a clay cap over the site. However, the cap failed to fully prevent contaminants from leaching into area groundwater. In 1983, EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). In 1986, Salsbury Laboratories installed a groundwater diversion wall that proved effective, and EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 1993. Now returned to productive use, the site serves as a storage area for Allied Construction’s equipment. The successful cleanup has removed the threat of drinking water contamination for hundreds of thousands of Iowa residents.
For more information:
Mason City Coal Gasification Plant
The Mason City Coal Gasification Plant Superfund site occupies 2.3 acres in Mason City, Iowa. Beginning in the early 1900s, a gas manufacturing plant on site generated "town gas" for lighting and heating purposes. Site operators decommissioned and demolished the plant in the early 1950s. Remaining residues from the gas manufacturing process, commonly referred to as coal tar, contaminated on-site soil and groundwater. In 1984, Mason City began excavation to install a new sewer line on the site. The City discovered coal tar in subsurface soil and structures. In 1994, EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). EPA required potentially responsible parties to remove contaminated soils and waste materials in 1997. In 2003, monitoring of the natural breakdown of groundwater contamination began and continues today. Controls are in place to restrict land use at the site to protect human health and the environment. The property remains in continued use by the current owner, Alliant Energy Corporation. The owner uses a small garage on the western edge of the site to store vehicles and equipment and continues to operate a power substation on a portion of the site.
For more information:
PCE Former Dry Cleaner
The Tetrachloroethene (PCE) Former Dry Cleaner site is located in Atlantic, Iowa. In 1974, the Iowa Department of Transportation leased the site as a materials testing laboratory. Prior to that, the site operated as a dry cleaner in the 1960s. Aerial photographs of the site show the building used for both businesses was razed between 1982 and 1994. Former operations on site contaminated site groundwater and created a groundwater plume of tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and degradation products. The groundwater plume extends to the municipal water supply system that consists of nine active municipal wells that serve the 7,475 citizens of Atlantic, Iowa. The City of Atlantic disconnected one municipal well from the municipal system to help protect the nine other municipal wells from contamination. The owners of the bank that now operates on the site have installed a vapor mitigation system to prevent buildup of contaminated vapors. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in April 2016.
For more information:
Peoples Natural Gas Co.
The Peoples Natural Gas Co. Superfund site occupies about 5 acres in Dubuque, Iowa. From 1890 through the 1950’s, a manufactured gas plant operated on the site. In 1983, while conducting a survey for the proposed extension of U.S. Highway 61, the Iowa Department of Transportation discovered contaminated residues from the gas manufacturing process, commonly referred to as coal tar. The state found volatile organic compounds and many other contaminants in site groundwater and soil. In 1989, a removal action addressed soil contamination in the area where the highway construction was to take place. EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. EPA’s cleanup actions included excavation and treatment of contaminated soil and a groundwater extraction and treatment system, which operated on site from 1996 until 2003. Groundwater monitoring is ongoing. In the 1960’s the Peoples Natural Gas Company sold a portion of the site to the City of Dubuque, which operated the Dubuque Public Works Garage on the site until 2006. In 2013 the EPA amended the original cleanup action to include additional restrictions on the site and a groundwater extraction system to capture the contaminated groundwater. The City continues to use the property for equipment storage and plans are underway to convert the former public works garage into a bus storage and training facility for the local transit authority. The Iowa Department of Transportation owns the remainder of the site.
For more information:
Shaw Avenue Dump
The Shaw Avenue Dump Superfund site is located in south-eastern Charles City, Iowa. The site is an 8-acre city dump that sits about 500 feet east of the Cedar River. Charles City operated the site as a municipal waste dump without a permit. From 1949 to 1953, on the northern half of the site, site operators disposed of large amounts of arsenic-contaminated solid waste from Salsbury Laboratories’ production of animal pharmaceuticals. Salsbury Laboratories also discharged liquid wastes to the Charles City wastewater treatment plant. The sludge from the treatment plant was then disposed of by site operators on the southern portion of the site. The City and the public used the area for open burning of wastes. Site investigations identified arsenic contamination in area groundwater, soil and surface waters of the Cedar River. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 1987. In early 1992, the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) began cleanup activities. The PRPs transported all contaminated materials off site for proper disposal at a permitted landfill. The successful removal of contaminated soils from the site reduced the risk of exposure to area groundwater. As a result, EPA determined that no further action was required to address groundwater contamination on site. Charles City owns the site, where it stockpiles mulch along the entrance road near the wastewater treatment plant. The mulch is for use by local residents. The City also constructed an asphalt pad near the wastewater treatment plant to provide a dry place for residents to pick up the stockpiled mulch.
For more information:
Waterloo Coal Gasification Plant
The Waterloo Coal Gasification Plant Superfund site is located in Waterloo, Iowa. A plant manufactured gas on the site for lighting and heating purposes from 1901 to 1956. Gasification and purification processes created wastes that contaminated site soil and ground water. Exact disposal methods for these wastes are unknown. In response to the discovery of contamination on site, EPA proposed the site for the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1992. A three-phased removal action addressed the potential impact to groundwater and soil by site-related contaminants. Cleanup activities included the removal of a total of 25,000 tons of coal tar, coal tar-impacted soil and coal tar-impacted materials. Since site operations ended in 1956, public and private parties purchased various site parcels. A cold storage warehousing facility continues to operate on site.
For more information: