Contaminated Sites Section

The 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 Title C program. This program is managed by United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VII, located in Kansas City, Kansas. For more information on this program, please visit the EPA Region 7 RCRA web page.