Electro-Coatings, Inc. sits on the north side of Cedar Lake in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has operated as a metal-plating facility since 1947. The plant performs chromium, cadmium, nickel, and zinc plating. A leaking tank containing chromic acid was discovered in 1976 after yellow-tinted water with high chromium levels showed up in discharge to the lake. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 because chromium contamination could potentially reach the city's municipal wells about 2,000 feet away. No impact to those wells was ever found.
Seven contaminants were identified in the groundwater. Three are volatile organic compounds (VOCs): 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, and trichloroethene, along with a mix of cis and trans 1,2-dichloroethene. Four metals were also found: cadmium, chromium (VI), nickel, and additional heavy metals. All contamination is in groundwater.
A 1994 Record of Decision selected groundwater monitoring as the cleanup approach. The plan relied on a nearby production well at the Hawkeye Rubber plant to pull contamination away from the site. That well operated until August 2006. Chromium has not been detected above the drinking water maximum contaminant level since September 2003, and the last monitoring event took place in 2009. A 2015 Five-Year Review found no contamination above maximum contaminant levels, and a 2017 ecological risk screening found no ecological threats. Physical cleanup construction was completed by September 2000, and the site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in 2006.
The EPA deleted the site from the NPL in September 2019, determining that no further monitoring or reviews are needed. Human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Zoning restrictions remain in place to prevent residential development, excavation, and well-digging. The site stays listed on Iowa's Registry of Hazardous Waste Sites. Electro-Coatings continues to operate at the facility, which employs 23 people and generates about $2.29 million in annual sales.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator. For state-related questions, contact the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
