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Fact Sheet
April 2008
Announcing the Third Five-Year Review Report for the John Deere – Ottumwa Site, Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts regular five-year checkups, called five-year reviews, on Superfund sites where cleanups have been completed. These reviews are required by the Superfund law [42 U.S.C. Section 9621 (c)]. EPA Region 7 has completed the third five-year review of the John Deere - Ottumwa site in Wapello County, Iowa. The site is bounded by the Wabash Railroad tracks on the west, Highway 63/34 on the east, and Vine Street on the north.
Background
A single waste disposal area of approximately 20 acres was determined to exist on-site, with the depth of waste material ranging between four and ten feet. The buried waste materials consist of amber to black-colored sand that is easily crumbled, and hardened greenish-yellow material with pieces of wood, coal, metal fragments, and paint chips.From 1911 through 1973, Deere & Company disposed of plant-generated wastes by burying them on-site or burning them on top of the soil. Wastes buried on-site included solvents, paint sludges, cyanide, petroleum distillates, and foundry sand. These disposal areas have been substantially covered at the surface by later plant expansions or other construction.
In May 1985, EPA conducted a Site Investigation. In 1990, Geraghty & Miller, on behalf of Deere & Company, conducted an additional investigation that determined the type and extent of contamination. The investigations concluded that ground water, surface water, and sediment contamination posed no significant threat to human health.
To address potential threats posed by waste and soil contamination, land use controls were selected to restrict contact with the site. These include perpetual maintenance of the existing eight-foot-high chain link fence topped with barbed wire, and deed restrictions to limit land use and prevent development of residences or other exposure situations on-site in the future.
The Five-Year Review
EPA inspected the site as one element of this five-year review. Included in the physical inspection was the evaluation and review of the land use controls in place on the site. Also considered were sampling reports, site records and planning documents, and the previous five-year reviews.
The primary finding of this third five-year review is that the remedy at the site remains protective of human health and the environment. There was a recommendation that one sampling well that is located in a low spot and is prone to run off, be replaced prior to the start of the next scheduled five-year review in 2012.
Additional Information
The Five-Year Review report and the site Administrative Record is available at the following locations during normal business hours:
| Ottumwa Public Library 102 W. Fourth St. Ottumwa, IA |
EPA Records Center 901 N. Fifth St. Kansas City, KS |
Questions or requests for information can be submitted to:
Fritz Hirter
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
Toll free: (800) 223-0425
e-mail: hirter.fritz@epa.gov
