C6-Zero cleanup still not done 14 months later

Nearly 14 months after an explosion at a Marengo manufacturing plant, environmental cleanup continues, a state official said Monday.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon told an appropriations subcommittee Monday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DNR are “making progress” to cleaning up the C6-Zero site, where a Dec. 8, 2022, explosion and fire injured nine employees, caused an evacuation of nearby houses and polluted soil and water.

“C6-Zero was an anomaly. It's an unfortunate situation,” Lyon said. “But we've gotten to the point where we've made really great strides get it cleaned up.”

The target date for C6-Zero to remove all waste off site was Oct. 11.

Rep. Sami Scheetz, D-Cedar Rapids, asked Lyon Monday to let lawmakers know when the site is completely cleaned up. She said she would do so.

When The Gazette asked the DNR Monday what work remains to be done, the agency said the EPA was the lead on the cleanup efforts.

The EPA said in September C6-Zero and the contractor were considering options for disposing of contaminated soil. At that point, the company was planning to take contaminated water to a facility in Harper, Kansas.

The DNR sued C6-Zero last summer to try to recover $1.5 million spent at that point on the environmental cleanup and to replace first responder gear damaged fighting the blaze.

The company’s insurance carrier paid $640,121 in September to reimburse Iowa for the first responder equipment, but C6-Zero still has not paid the $892,740 for the cleanup, court records state. That trial is scheduled for Sept. 24 in Iowa County.

C6-Zero, which opened in 2020 and had about 30 employees, was attempting to dissolve used shingles into oil, sand and fiberglass when a mechanical failure ignited flammable vapor, investigators said. The plant’s sprinkler system, hydrants and alarms were not working at the time, according to first responders.

Kelly Regenold, of Tama, suffered severe burns on one-third of his body in the blast, according to a lawsuit Regenold filed in Iowa County. Cody Blasberg was severely burned and was put temporarily on a ventilator because of his injuries, his family said.

Iowa OSHA originally found 15 serious violations at the plant, each carrying a $8,701 penalty, for a total $130,515. The agency and C6-Zero reached a settlement May 26 that the company would pay $95,711 by June 19.

That fine had not been paid by mid-July, but there was not an update available Monday.

Gazette reporter Brittney J. Miller contributed to this report.

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