urn TO use Initiativ
2007 Demonstration Project
White Farm Equipment
Company Dump:
Charles City, Iowa
THE SITE: The White Farm Equipment Company Dump site occupies
approximately 20 acres along the northern border of Charles City, Iowa. The
site is located in an old sand and gravel pit that is bordered by low-lying
areas, wetlands, and farmland. Tractors and other farm equipment have been
manufactured near the site since the early 1900s. Starting in the 1920s, White
Farm Equipment Company's manufacturing operations generated foundry
sand, sludges, and baghouse dust. Beginning in 1971, the plant intermittently
disposed of foundry sands, baghouse dust, and other industrial wastes at the site.
Approximately 650,000 cubic yards of these wastes were disposed of on site.
As a result, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contaminated
ground water, while sediments, soil, and surface water were polluted with heavy
metals. In a remedy decision issued in 1990, EPA chose to cap the soil and
monitor ground water. Construction of the cap was completed in 1995 and the
site was deleted from the National Priorities List in October 2000. Five-Year
Reviews conducted in 1999 and 2004 have confirmed that the remedy remains
protective of human health and the environment.
THE OPPORTUNITY: The site owner is interested in reusing the White Farm
site and is considering ecological and agricultural reuse options. According to
the site owner, deer and other wildlife are frequently seen inside the fence,
grazing on the cap and using the existing flora for habitat. Nearby residents
have also placed multiple bird houses next to the site to attract waterfowl to the
adjacent wetland area. The owner has also mentioned using the site as a grazing
area for livestock or horses.
THE BARRIERS: Prior to implementing any type of reuse at the site, EPA
needs to determine that the reuse will not impair or damage the site's remedy.
Local residents also need reassurance that the site is safe to reuse. An institutional
control to prohibit digging into the soil and the protective cap would need to be
put in place before reuse begins.
THE SOLUTION: U.S. EPA is in the process of drafting a Ready for Reuse
(RfR) Determination for the site. The RfR determination is an environmental
status report that will document the site's condition, explain which uses the site
can safely support, and affirm that the site is safe to reuse so long as the remedy
remains protective of human health and the environment.
THE SITE NOW: The site, which sits on the outskirts of town, is currently
unoccupied. According to the latest Five-Year Review the cap is in excellent
Barriers:
Institutional controls needed to protect
the remedy; Superfund site stigma and
uncertainty about appropriate reuse
options
Solution:
RfR Determination to act as
informational institutional control
until other institutional controls are
implemented
Before:
Former foundry site, lying vacant with
capped landfill and ongoing ground
water monitoring, and wetland areas
After:
Open space with potential for
ecological and agricultural reuse
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
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shape. The site is listed on the State of Iowa Registry of Hazardous Waste or Hazardous Substances Disposal Sites and is
classified as "Requires Continued Maintenance, Site Properly Closed." Once issued, the RfR Determination will serve as an
informational institutional control until other institutional controls can be implemented.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Shelley Brodie, Remedial Project Manager, at (913) 551-7706 or
brodie.shelley(giepa.gov: or Tonya Howell, Region 7 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at (913) 551-7589 or
howell.tonva@epa.gov.
if
Swans on the wetlands adjacent to the White Farm Equipment Company Dump site. The site is the fenced
area located in the background.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
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