Iowa Superfund Site: Mason City Coal Gasification Plant
Fight Air Pollution & Water Pollution With an Environmental Toxic Tort Lawsuit
 |
Are you in need of a Toxic Tort Attorney in The Hawkeye State? The U.S. E.P.A. has designated Mason City Coal Gasification Plant in Iowa as a Superfund site due to its levels of environmental toxins and danger to the environment. You can read the report for the site below.
Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.
Living near Superfund Sites in Iowa may place you and the people you love at higher risk of developing a disease from exposure to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but action is being taken to fight back: The EPA says,
[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.Regardless, most of the Superfund sites continue to pose a threat the well-being of those near-by.
By choosing Weitz & Luxenberg, you benefit from the legal experience of skilled Toxic Tort attorneys who will help fight back against polluters and get you and your community the compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Mason City Coal Gasification Plant Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to exposure to a Superfund site Mason City Coal Gasification Plant, or if your property has lost value because of pollution, you are better off with a toxic tort lawyer who knows the people of the State of Iowa . Learn more about your legal options by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within one day. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, follow this link to let them know about the environmental toxic tort lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Mason City Coal Gasification Plant
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Mason City Coal
Gasification Plant
Iowa
Epa Id# Iad980969190
EPA Region 7
City: Mason City
County: Cerro Gordo County
Other Names: Coal Gasification Plant
08/26/2002
Site Description
The Mason City Coal Gasification Plant site is located on approximately 2 1/3 acres in a commercial
and residential area of central Mason City, a north-central Iowa community of 29,000. Mason City
Coal Gasification Plant operated from 1900 to 1951, and was demolished in 1952. An electrical
substation and a small storage building are all that remain on the site. During a 1984 sewer installation,
oily sludges were discovered in subsurface soil at the site. Investigations by the current site owner,
Alliant Energy Corporation (formerly Interstate Power Company), revealed three underground storage
tanks containing oily sludge. The tanks and contaminated soil were exhumed and stored on the
southeast corner of the site and covered with a membrane cap. Contaminated soil is also present in the
north-central portion of the site. The site is situated on fill material consisting of sand, gravel, and
construction rubble and debris, and is in direct contact with bedrock. Although the level of the water
table fluctuates seasonally, the water table in the fill material is typically present at depths ranging from 8
to 10 feet below the surface. A portion of the groundwater flows through the fill and empties into
Willow Creek, which is used for public recreational fishing. Eight Mason City municipal drinking water
wells are located within 2 miles of the site. Approximately 98 percent of Mason City is supplied by the
municipal drinking water supply.
Site Responsibility:
This site is being addressed through Federal and
potentially responsible parties' actions.
Npl Listinghistory
Proposed Date:01/18/1994
Final Date:
12/16/1994
Deleted Date:
Threats And Contaminants
The soil, on-site waste pile, bedrock, and groundwater are contaminated with
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Soil samples collected indicate that the soil
is contaminated to a depth of 13 1/2 feet. A series of investigations between 1986 and
1993 by Interstate Power Company identified high concentrations of PAHs in samples of
groundwater taken from the uppermost aquifer and in samples of Willow Creek sediment
downstream from the site. Ingesting or coming into direct contact with contaminated soil
or groundwater could pose a public health threat.
Cleanup Approach
Response Action Status
Initial Actions: In late 1988, the potentially responsible parties excavated three underground storage
tanks and surrounding contaminated soil, moved them to the southeast corner of the site, and covered
them with a membrane cap. Excavation and thermal treatment of contaminated soil and the waste pile
was completed in November 1996.
Groundwater: In late 1991, the potentially responsible parties began investigating the nature and extent
of site contamination. This study was completed in 1994. Periodic sampling of groundwater will
continue for a minimum of two years following removal of the contaminated soils and the waste pile. A
final cleanup remedy was selected in September 2000 to address groundwater contamination. The
remedy selected was monitored natural attenuation of groundwater.
Site Facts:
Interstate Power Company signed an Administrative Order on Consent with the EPA in
October 1991. Under this order, Interstate Power Company agreed to determine the
extent of contamination at the site and assist the EPA in evaluating cleanup options. In
1995, Interstate Power Company, Kansas City Power & Light Company, Bob
McKiness Grading and Excavating, Inc., and the City of Mason City signed an
Administrative Order on Consent with EPA for removal of source materials and
post-removal groundwater monitoring.
Environmental Progress
The removal of contaminated soil and several storage tanks has made the Mason City Coal
Gasification Plant safe while groundwater monitoring continues.
The groundwater remedy at the site recognizes that natural attenuation of the contamination is occurring
and is an acceptable remedy. Groundwater monitoring will be conducted for an extended period of
time to verify the on-going effectiveness of this remedy.
Site Repository
Mason City Public Library
225 2nd Street S.E.
Mason City,
Ia
50401Superfund Records Center
901 N. 5th St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
Mail Stop SUPR
(913)551-4038
Regional
Site Manager:
Diana Engeman
E-Mail Address:
engeman.diana@epa.gov
Phone Number:
(913) 551-7746
Community Involvement Coordinator:
Beckie Himes
Phone Number:
(913) 551-7003
E-Mail Address:
himes.beckie@epa.gov
State Contact:
Johanshir Golchin
Phone Number:
(515) 281-8925
Miscellaneous Information
State:
Ia
076B
Congressional District:
02
Epa Organization:
Sfd-Iane/Supr
Modifications
source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. Iowa law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!
see also:
Lawrence Todtz Farm
Environmental Pollution in Iowa- Site: Lawrence Todtz FarmLawrence Todtz Farm Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Shaw Avenue Dump
Environmental Pollution in Iowa- Site: Shaw Avenue DumpShaw Avenue Dump Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
IA
Environmental Pollution Due to Iowa Superfund Sites - Learn MoreIowa Superfund Sites - The cause of serious environmental pollution
