OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** September 2015 

PCE FORMER DRY CLEANER Atlantic, Iowa

Cass County

 Site Location:

Atlantic, Iowa is a community in northeastern Cass County, about 75 miles west of Des Moines, Iowa and 45 miles 

northeast of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The site is located on 7th Street at the location of a former dry cleaning facility. 

 Site History:

The site is a former dry cleaning facility that operated at this location during the 1960s. In 1974, the Iowa Department 

of Transportation (IDOT) leased the site as a materials testing laboratory. The former dry cleaning and IDOT

laboratory facility no longer exist at this location. Based on the historical aerial photographs of the site, the building 

was razed between 1982 and 1994. The area is now occupied by a bank. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

The ground water plume is comprised of chlorinated solvents, including but not limited to: tetrachloroethene (PCE), 

trichloroethene (TCE) and degradation products. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

The ground water plume extends to the municipal water supply system that consists of several wells that are at risk of 

becoming contaminated because they are located downgradient of the ground water plume. Currently, nine active 

municipal wells serve the 7,475 citizens. One municipal well has been taken off line due to contamination. Potential 

vapor intrusion impacts are under evaluation. 

 Response Activities (to date):

The city of Atlantic has disconnected one municipal well from the municipal system; it is currently being pumped 

continuously to the city wastewater treatment plant to provide hydraulic control and protect the nine other municipal wells 

from PCE contamination. The owners of the business on the site have installed a vapor mitigation system. 

 Need for NPL Listing:

The state of Iowa initially referred the site to the EPA for evaluation under the removal program. The site requires shortterm and long-term response actions and NPL listing will allow for a proper and timely investigation of the nature and 

extent of contamination and remediation of the site. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are 

not viable options at this time. The EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the city of 

Atlantic and the Atlantic Municipal Utilities. The EPA has worked closely with the state and has received no objection 

to listing the site on the NPL.

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may 

change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent 

FR notices.]

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/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.