Public Notice: Electrolux Industrial Facility, Jefferson, Iowa

Summary

EPA Legal Notice - Administrative Order on Consent

In accordance with Section 7003(d) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. 9673(d), notice is hereby given of a proposed administrative settlement, called an Administrative Order on Consent, with Electrolux Home Products, Inc., concerning the Electrolux Industrial Facility site (“site”) in Jefferson, Iowa. 

Under the settlement, Electrolux Home Products, Inc. is required to perform the following activities related to contamination from tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) and their degradation chemicals in soil and groundwater at the site. Degradation chemicals include contaminants such as cis-1,2-dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethane, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and petroleum products. Required activities include:

• Conducting a RCRA Facility Investigation that provides a complete investigation and characterization of the source(s) of contamination and releases of hazardous waste and/or hazardous constituents at the site.
• Developing a Corrective Measures Study to provide sufficient information to support the selection of an appropriate remedy and to support the implementation of corrective measures. 
• Performing the Corrective Measures Implementation that implements the remedy selected by the EPA to prevent, mitigate, and/or remediate any migration or release of solid and/or hazardous wastes and/or hazardous constituents. 
• Conducting Interim Measures to prevent, mitigate, and/or remediate any migration or release of hazardous wastes and/or hazardous constituents to prevent immediate or potential threat to human health and/or the environment.

The settlement provides continuous oversight from EPA and stipulated penalties for failure to perform. 

For 30 days following the publication of this notice, the agency will receive written comments relating to the settlement. The agency will consider all comments received and may modify or withdraw its consent to the settlement if comments received disclose facts or considerations that indicate the settlement is inappropriate, improper, or inadequate. 

The agency’s response to any comments received will be available for public inspection at the following locations: Jefferson Public Library at 200 W Lincoln Way, Jefferson, IA 50129; and EPA Region 7 Office at 11201 Renner Blvd, Lenexa, KS 66219. Commenters may request an opportunity for a public meeting in the affected area, in accordance with Section 7003(d) of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. 6973(d).

Comments must be submitted on or before March 8th, 2026.

The proposed settlement and additional background information relating to the settlement are available for public inspection and may be obtained from Kyle Drake at the EPA Region 7 Office at 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219. Comments should reference the Electrolux site in Jefferson, Iowa, and EPA Docket No. RCRA-07-2025-0200, and should be addressed by mail to Kyle Drake, 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219; by email at Drake.Kyle@epa.gov; or by phone at 913-551-7487. 

For more information, contact Kyle Drake, RCRA project manager, at Drake.Kyle@epa.gov and 913-551-7487, or Patrick Hurley, community involvement coordinator, at Hurley.Patrick@epa.gov and 913-551-7202.

Supplementary Information: 

The facility began operations in 1960 to manufacture washing machine motor transmissions. Historically, activities at the site included machining, heat treating, degreasing, metal fabrication, powder coating, warehousing, and testing of washing machine transmissions. Operations at the facility ceased in March 2011. The facility subsequently decommissioned and removed the manufacturing equipment and other items from the buildings and demolished the structures. The concrete building slabs, parking areas, and sidewalks remain in place. Following the demolition, a chain-link fence was installed around the entire perimeter of the former manufacturing area.

In May 2011, the facility submitted a site assessment report to the EPA summarizing site operation history, geologic and hydrogeologic information, and findings detected in soil and groundwater above maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) as gasoline (including light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL)); total extractable hydrocarbons (TEH); and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including TCE and 1,1,1-TCA. 

The facility voluntarily continued to assess site conditions in a phased approach with groundwater monitoring from 2011 to 2023. In 2023, the facility installed additional monitoring wells on the southern property boundary to further evaluate possible TCE concentration changes.

In February 2024, the facility submitted their 2023 Groundwater Monitoring Summary Report citing that TCE was detected above MCLs in the new monitoring well that was installed along the southern property boundary, suggesting shallow groundwater contamination migration off-site.

Due to current conditions, there is a risk of drinking water contamination from the site. The main exposure pathways of concern for the solid wastes and/or hazardous wastes released at the facility are soil and groundwater. Specifically, persons or organisms may be at risk of exposure to soils, dust, vapor and/or solid wastes, hazardous wastes, and/or constituents released at, or from, the facility.

Applicants or Respondents

Docket Numbers

• RCRA-07-2025-0200