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NPL Site Narrative for John Deere (Ottumwa Works Landfills)
JOHN DEERE (OTTUMWA WORKS LANDFILLS)
Ottumwa, Iowa
Federal Register Notice: February 21, 1990Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): John Deere manufactures farm implements on a 118-acre tract of land in Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa. The site is adjacent to a residential area and 200 feet from prime agricultural land.
During 1911-73, the Ottumwa Works disposed of paint wastes, solvents, acids, plating wastes, and sodium cyanide in three unlined landfills covering 3 acres. The soil is highly permeable, and ground water shallow (11-12 feet), conditions that facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water. About 700 people obtain drinking water from private wells within 3 miles of the site.
The main water supply for Ottumwa (population 27,000) is the Des Moines River; the intake is 4,000 feet upstream from the John Deere landfills. The city's secondary supply, which is used intermittently year-round when river flow or quality is low, is Black Lake. It is 500 feet downgradient of the landfills. Subsurface conditions are such that ground water from the site can reach Black Lake. The river is used for recreational activities.
The facility obtained Interim Status under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when it filed a Notification of Hazardous Waste Activity and Part A of a permit application for another part of the plant where hazardous waste was stored. However, the company later withdrew its Part A and converted to generator-only status with EPA approval. Hence, it satisfies a component of EPA's NPL/RCRA policy.
Status (February 21, 1990): In September 1989, John Deere entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA under CERCLA Section 104. The order calls for the company to conduct a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action. John Deere expects to complete the RI/FS by the summer of 1991.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.