As a result of a settlement filed on March 1 by Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, the Pella Corporation has agreed to conduct an investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste releases into soil and groundwater from its door and window manufacturing facility in Pella, Iowa.
The administrative order on consent, filed in Kansas City, Kan., is intended to address a series of longstanding environmental issues related to soil and groundwater contamination around Pella Corporation’s facilities at 102 Main Street in Pella.
In 2006, under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), EPA Region 7 completed an assessment of the company’s facilities in Pella and identified a total of 30 different potential sources of soil and groundwater contamination. The RCRA order follows up on EPA’s assessment and requires a thorough investigation and cleanup of wastes released from the facility. The contaminants to be addressed by Pella are primarily solvents and petroleum products related to wood treatment activities at the facility, including the solvent pentachlorophenol which has been detected in groundwater above federal drinking water levels.
The City of Pella relies on the Des Moines River and a deep well situated close to the company’s plant for its public drinking water. The company has committed under EPA oversight to investigate its hazardous releases, conduct a study to identify cleanup strategies, and then implement the cleanup selected by EPA at its own expense.