Keokuk plant sued by neighbors over ‘foul and offensive’ odors

Two Keokuk residents are suing an industrial neighbor of theirs over odors allegedly caused by ammonia and wastewater treatment near their homes.

David M. Dye, who owns residential property at 1618 and 1624 Park St. in Keokuk, and Steve L. Andrews, who owns property at 1710 and 1714 Park St., are suing Roquette America, a corn syrup and corn starch producer located less than 1,000 feet away from the Park Street residences on South 5th Street in Keokuk.

In their lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, the two men allege that due to recent developments at the Roquette plant, they’ve been damaged by a “significant” increase in odors emanating from the site. They allege that prior to the recent changes, the odor from the plant was “negligible and typical of an Iowa town.”

Court records indicate the plant was built about 122 years ago. However, the wastewater treatment facility on the site wasn’t constructed until 1977. In 1991, Roquette purchased the plant, and in 2013, Roquette allegedly began expanding its wastewater treatment system. According to the lawsuit, Roquette created an “overflow tank” in 2023 that resulted in a near-constant “foul and offensive odor” once it became operational.

The lawsuit alleges the plant’s wastewater treatment is subject to separation-distance requirements that legally restrict its operations if there are habitable structures within 1,000 feet of the plant, unless a waiver has been signed by the nearby landowners. The lawsuit states Dye and Andrews don’t recall signing any such waiver.

“The odor far exceeds any typical normal operating procedural smells,” the lawsuit claims, adding that the smell is so severe that Dye and Andrews have had to leave their homes and stay in hotels, avoid using air conditioning or heating in order to prevent outside air from entering their homes, and avoid outdoor activities at home.

The odor, they allege, “contains harmful gases” that endanger their physical and mental health.

As recently as March 2025, the plaintiffs claim, the Keokuk Fire Department was able to detect levels of ammonia within Dye’s home and concluded the smells were coming from the Roquette plant.

Federal records show that in October 2024, Roquette agreed to pay $207,488 in civil penalties for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act related to the Keokuk plant. The company also agreed to donate emergency response vehicles to the Keokuk Fire Department as part of the settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the EPA, the company stores more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a regulated toxic substance, on site and failed to comply with regulations intended to protect the surrounding community from accidental releases.

In addition, the lawsuit claims, Roquette previously entered into a consent decree with the EPA over alleged violations at the plant.

The lawsuit, which was first filed in state court before being transferred to federal court, alleges negligence in the construction and use of the plant; the creation of a nuisance that has deposited silt upon homes and vehicles and destroyed vegetation; and trespassing through air contaminants that have “physically invaded” the plaintiffs’ property.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory damages as well as an injunction permanently barring Roquette from diverting odor onto the plaintiffs’ property or interfering with the plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment of their property.

An attorney for the Roquette America declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday, noting that the company has until July 24 to file its formal response to the allegations.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.