Iowa Superfund Site: Peoples Natural Gas Co.
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Are you in need of a Toxic Tort Lawyer in The Hawkeye State? The EPA has designated Peoples Natural Gas Co. in Iowa as a Superfund site because of its amounts of environmental toxins and danger to the natural world. 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 your loved ones more vulnerable to developing a disease from exposure to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but there are steps you can take 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.Despite this, most of the Superfund sites continue to pose a threat the well-being of those who live close to a Superfund site.
By choosing Weitz & Luxenberg, you can trust the legal experience of skilled Toxic Tort attorneys who will help fight back against polluters and win you and your community the compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Peoples Natural Gas Co. Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has gotten sick due to toxic pollution in Peoples Natural Gas Co., or if your property has lost value because of contamination, you are better off with a toxic tort attorney who knows the people of the State of Iowa . You can begin the process of filing a claim by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within one business day. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, click here to let them know about the environmental toxic tort attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Peoples Natural Gas Co.
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Peoples Natural Gas
Co.
Iowa
Epa Id# Iad980852578
EPA Region 7
City: East Dubuque
County: Dubuque County
Other Names:
Key City Coal Gasification Plant
09/03/2002
Site Description
The Peoples Natural Gas Co. site is located in Dubuque and covers approximately 5 acres. From 1890
until 1954, the Key City Gas Company owned and operated this gas plant, where a natural gas
substitute was produced from coal. In 1954, the North Central Public Service Company took over
operations until 1957, when Peoples Natural Gas Company assumed ownership of the site. Peoples
used the site as a storage and maintenance area and did not manufacture gas. It later sold a portion of
the site to the City of Dubuque, which operates the Dubuque Municipal Garage on the site. The Iowa
Department of Transportation owns the remainder of the site. Two waste products resulting from coal
gasification are of primary concern: coal tar sludges and spent iron oxide. Coal tar sludges were
produced during the coal or coke combustion and during the oil injection processes, and spent iron
oxide wastes were produced during the gas purification process. Spent iron oxide wastes, removed
from the three gas cleaning boxes (purifiers), were dumped behind two gas holding tanks on site at least
twice a year. Spent iron oxide and other wastes were deposited in the northeastern section of the site.
Coal tars were removed from the gas in the wash box and condenser. These wastes either were sold or
disposed of in pits or holding tanks. Two coal tar waste storage tanks were used at the Key City plant,
one aboveground and one below. Both tanks have since been removed. Evidence of materials left in the
underground tank, as well as migration of waste out of the tank, is supported by a study done by the
Iowa Department of Transportation in 1983 while conducting a right-of-way survey for the proposed
extension of U.S. Highway 61. An estimated 60,000 people obtain drinking water from municipal wells
located within 3 miles of the site. Approximately 2,400 people live within a mile of the site, and 21,000
people live within 3 miles. The Mississippi River is approximately 500 feet east of the site. Surface
water downstream is used for industrial and recreational activities. A wildlife and fish refuge is 2 miles
downstream, and wetlands are located within 1/2 mile of the site.
Site Responsibility:
This site is being addressed through Federal and
potentially responsible parties' actions.
Npl Listinghistory
Proposed Date:06/24/1988
Final Date:
Deleted Date:
08/30/1990
Threats And Contaminants
Phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and inorganic chemicals from the
gasification process wastes were detected by the State in on-site wells. Soil samples
collected at the site in 1983 also contained phenols, PAHs, and inorganic chemicals.
Accidental ingestion of or direct contact with contaminated soil or groundwater may pose
health threats to individuals. No private drinking water wells have been identified in the
area. The wetlands and the wildlife and fish refuge may be threatened by runoff from the
site.
Cleanup Approach
Response Action Status
Initial Actions:Immediate Actions: Under EPA oversight, the potentially responsible
parties removed the contaminated coal tar sludges and soils containing contaminants
above health-based standards from within the construction corridor for U.S. Highway
61. Off-site incineration of these soils has been completed.
Site Studies:Soil and Groundwater: An investigation into the nature and extent of
groundwater and soil contamination was completed by the potentially responsible parties
in 1991. A final cleanup remedy that prescribes excavation and incineration of
contaminated soils, and pumping and treating contaminated groundwater was selected by
EPA in 1991. Restrictions on land and groundwater use also will be implemented. Design
of the remedy was completed in early 1994. Excavation of contaminated soils from the
remaining portions of the site was initiated in the spring of 1995 and is scheduled for
completion in the fall of 1997.
Site Facts:
The EPA signed an Administrative Order on Consent with Midwest Gas (of Iowa
Public Service, a successor corporation of Key City Gas Co.), the Iowa Department of
Transportation, and the City of Dubuque in 1989. The Order required the parties to
remove or treat any contaminated soil. It also required completion of an investigation to
determine the need for treatment of residual soil and for groundwater treatment. The
EPA signed a Consent Decree with Midwest Gas, the Iowa Department of
Transportation, the City of Dubuque, and Enron on December 28, 1992, requiring the
parties to conduct the design of the remedy and cleanup activities.
Environmental Progress
By removing contaminated coal tar sludges and soils, the potential for exposure to hazardous
materials at the People's Natural Gas Co. site has been reduced while final cleanup activities continue.
Site Repository
Carnegie Stout Public Library, Eleventh Superfund Records Center
and Bluff, Dubuque, IA 52001
901 N. 5th St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
Mail Stop SUPR
(913)551-4038
Regional
Site Manager:
Diana Engeman
E-Mail Address:
Engeman.Diana@Epamail.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:
Phone Number:
Miscellaneous Information
State:
Pacific Island(S):
07Bp
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:
Electro-Coatings, Inc.
Environmental Pollution in Iowa- Site: Electro-Coatings, Inc.Electro-Coatings, Inc. Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Fairfield Coal Gasification Plant
Environmental Pollution in Iowa- Site: Fairfield Coal Gasification PlantFairfield Coal Gasification Plant 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
