Iowa DNR
Environmental Services Division

For Immediate Release                                                                                 Nov. 21, 2003

1. Air quality unhealthy yesterday near Black Hawk Foundry in southwest Davenport
2.   DNR assures Ida Grove and Galva that water supplies are safe

AIR QUALITY UNHEALTHY YESTERDAY NEAR BLACK HAWK FOUNDRY IN SOUTHWEST DAVENPORT

DES MOINES   Air quality in the immediate area of Black Hawk Foundry in southwest Davenport was unhealthy for sensitive groups yesterday with an Air Quality Index measuring 117 due to microscopic sized particulate matter.

The particulate pollution levels were not widespread over the city, but confined to areas adjacent the foundry. A second particulate monitor located at Jefferson Elementary School at 10th and Vine measured good air quality with an AQI of just 31. Yesterday s Air Quality Index readings elsewhere across Iowa measured 17 to 50. The Air Quality Index (AQI), reports pollution levels using a color-coded and numerical range for pollutants. The higher the AQI, the poorer the air quality.

An AQI of 1 to 50 is green or good, 51 to 100 is yellow or moderate, 101 to 150 is orange or unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151 to 200 is red, unhealthy for everyone. Rarely monitored are purple for very unhealthy (201 to 300) and maroon for hazardous (301 to 500.)


DNR officials are currently investigating the cause, which could be winds that pushed smokestack emissions close to the ground or other events at the foundry that elevated the readings.

 Hopefully this is an isolated event and a cause can be determined to help avoid a repeat,  said Brian Button, a DNR spokesman. He said the foundry has done considerable recent work to reduce emissions including enclosing operations that move dry materials, sealing areas near the foundry cupola, and future installation of a large series of fabric filter bags to capture additional particulate matter.

He said these actions stem from a similar pollution episode that occurred near the foundry in March 2000, when air quality measuring 113 on the Air Quality Index.

The foundry also cooperated in helping establish the air monitoring station that recorded the unhealthy air Thursday.

Particulate matter is a generic term to describe microscopic sized solids, liquid droplets, or aerosols in the air. Because the particles are so small they are able to penetrate the deepest parts of the lungs, increasing the likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals, including children, the elderly and those with heart disease.
For more Information contact Brian Button at 515-281-7832

# # #

DNR ASSURES IDA GROVE AND GALVA THAT WATER SUPPLIES ARE SAFE

DES MOINES   Residents of Ida Grove and Galva should be reassured that their drinking water supplies are meeting all federal drinking water standards relating to petroleum extracts including methyl tertiary-butyl ether or MTBE, according to the DNR.

 Both of these cities switched to alternative sources of water after benzene levels exceeded the maximum contaminant level (MCL) allowed under federal Environmental Protection Agency rules,  said Julie Sievers, an environmental specialist at the DNR Storm Lake field office.

In Sioux City, low levels of MTBE were detected in October samples from two wells and the breakdown product, tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), was found in five city wells.  The City has additional wells believed to not contain MTBE or TBA.

 Removing MTBE from drinking water is an expensive and technically difficult process, so there is always concern about having adequate funds to clean it up,  Sievers said.

The Iowa DNR first required routine testing for MTBE in groundwater associated with leaking underground gas tanks after state legislation passed in 1999.  Samples must also be tested from public and private drinking water wells that lie within 100 feet of a plume coming from a leaking tank.  Public water supplies must be tested if they lie within a mile of a leaky tank that is located in areas with shallow, fractured bedrock.

After five times the MCL for benzene was detected in Galva wells, the DNR required the city to find another source of water.  The city connected to the Cherokee Rural Water District in 1997.  It has disconnected the wells from the city water supply, solving the problem with MTBE contamination as well.

In Ida Grove, the city drilled two new wells in 2002 to replace the primary source of drinking water, well #3.  Well #3 was contaminated with benzene and MTBE.  The city installed a temporary treatment system that was used for several years to filter benzene and MTBE from the water through granular activated carbon.  Funding for the project came from the Iowa Underground Storage Tank Fund. With the completion of the new wells, well #3 was disconnected from the water supply which eliminated the benzene and MTBE.

Although Iowa does not have an MCL for MTBE in drinking water, the DNR considers 20 parts per billion as the action level for contamination.  This is the same level that EPA uses as an odor and taste threshold for a health advisory."

For more information, contact Diane Moles, at 515-725-0281, or Julie Sievers, Storm Lake DNR satellite office at 712-732-8350.

-30-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]