Contaminated Sites

The Solid Waste and Contaminated Sites Section of IDNR deals with a range of situations that involve contamination caused by a release of hazardous materials or hazardous waste products.

Two state programs, Chapter 133 and Chapter 137 (also known as the Land Recycling Program) are administered to address sites that are contaminated by hazardous materials or wastes. These programs focus on assessing the severity of such problems and on identifying and carrying out the appropriate remedial measures to assure the protection of public health and environment. In addition, the Land Recycling Program provides for limited liability protection from further regulatory action relative to the problem(s) addressed. Sites come to the attention of IDNR in various ways; however, the largest group consists of properties which have been the subject of environmental assessments, generally associated with real estate transfers.

The state also cooperates with EPA in the administration of the CERCLA program, often called Superfund. This program includes emergency removal and remedial components generally targeted at more seriously contaminated sites. The state also cooperates with EPA in a program referred to as "pre-remedial" designed to evaluate sites for eligibility for the remedial portion of the CERCLA program.

It should be noted that the State of Iowa does not currently administer the federal RCRA Subtitle C program. This program is managed by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VII, located in Kansas City, Kansas. For more information on this program, please visit the EPA Region 7 RCRA webpage.

Solid Waste and Contaminated Sites Staff Contact Information

• 542-1226 Abandoned Water Well Plugging Record |
• Hazardous Waste Fee Collection Form
• Land Recycling Program

The following sites are listed to assist you in locating other resources.

• Administrative Rules Iowa Code Chapter 133
• Administrative Rules Iowa Code Chapter 137
• Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC)
• US EPA Region 7
• US EPA - Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Brownfields
• USDA Grain Bin Sites

Contaminated Sites Database - This allows the public to search and find information about sites and print out results. 

Environmental Laboratory Certification - Laboratories reporting environmental data to the Iowa DNR must be certified.

Cumulative Risk Calculator - The cumulative risk calculator can assess risk to potentially exposed parties, based on three standard exposure scenarios, from multiple contaminants and multiple media (i.e., groundwater, soil, and air).

Statewide Standards - Standards prescribed in the LRP which represent concentrations of contaminants in groundwater and soil for which normal, unrestricted exposure is considered unlikely to pose a threat to human health.

• Explanation of Statewide Groundwater Standards

Environmental Covenant - The Department drafted a model environmental covenant for use in the LUST and LRP programs.  There are certain provisions that must be incorporated into the covenant and there is broad discretionary authority to incorporate other provisions.

DNR Records Center - Open 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for legal holidays, for the public to view open records relating to environmental and conservation interests.