Iowa to pay $800K to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from Marengo explosion runoff

The state will pay a contractor up to $834,000 to remove toxic “forever chemicals” from water in a 12-million-gallon basin holding runoff from a December explosion and fire at the C6-Zero facility in Marengo.

The contract signed Thursday calls for Tetrasolv of Anderson, Ind., to remove perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that came from firefighting foam used to fight the Dec. 8, 2022, blast.

“This is an emergency situation to protect the health and welfare of the citizens of Iowa,” the contract states. “This Contract will ensure that PFAS components are treated to below detection levels before being discharged into the Iowa River and protect the citizens of Marengo who rely on the capacity of Basin C to prevent floodwaters from causing damage.”

The contract goes through June 30, but calls for the water treatment to be done by the end of March, with removal of all waste materials and equipment by the end of April.

Water tests Dec. 9, 2022, showed the basin also tested high for diesel, benzene and waste oil — products C6-Zero had stored at the plant where the company was trying to dissolve spent shingles into oil, sand and fiberglass. It does not appear Tetrasolv’s work will involve removal of these chemicals.

Iowa will pay Tetrasolv with money from the American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress authorized in 2021 to help state and local governments recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild infrastructure.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials said earlier this week they would seek reimbursement from C6-Zero to pay for the basin cleanup, but that language was not included in a consent order signed by both parties and approved by a judge.

C6-Zero agreed in the order to pay $333,580 to EcoSource, a Des Moines-based company, to clean up contaminated soil and water at the site. C6-Zero also committed to put $75,000 in a trust account to fund assessment and remediation work.

Those payments were made by a Thursday deadline, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office confirmed Friday.

Chemicals in firefighting foam

Minnesota-based 3M started manufacturing PFAS in the 1950s, putting the chemicals into several products including Scotchgard fabric protector. The chemicals also were used to create aqueous film-forming foam, used to cool and suppress liquid fuel fires.

The foam now is being phased out because PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down, are harmful to humans and animals.

More than 20 Iowa fire departments responded to the C6-Zero explosion and fire, which injured up to 15 people and caused an evacuation of houses near the C6-Zero plant.

One or more of the departments brought drums of the aqueous film-forming foam, Iowa County Emergency Management Coordinator Josh Humphrey said last month.

“We used 2,000 gallons of foam from several different fire departments,” he said. “For these big commercial fires like this, you get what you get when you call for help. We’re not faulting anybody.”

Removal of PFAS from the basin is important because that water will ultimately be pumped into the Iowa River, which supplies drinking water to communities downstream that include Iowa City.

While the basin is cleaned up, the Iowa County Drainage District will create a diversion channel to allow snowmelt and rain to flow into the river, bypassing the stormwater basin, the Iowa DNR reported earlier this week. This will prevent the need for treating additional water inside the basin.

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