Farmers' Mutual Cooperative

Overview

The Farmers' Mutual Cooperative site is a six-acre property in Hospers, Iowa that handled bulk fertilizer and pesticides from the early 1900s until 1992. The EPA added it to the National Priorities List in August 1990 after investigations tied groundwater contamination to site activities. The site has since been deleted from that list, meaning cleanup goals have been fully achieved.

The contaminants found at the site are alachlor, atrazine, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform. All were detected in groundwater and soil within the site's single operable unit. In 1984, pesticides and carbon tetrachloride turned up in three shallow municipal wells next to the site, prompting Iowa to restrict and then prohibit their use. Contamination also spread to the area between the site and the Floyd River.

The cleanup relied on monitored natural attenuation, which uses natural processes to break down contaminants over time without active treatment. Construction of the groundwater remedy ran from September 1995 to November 1999. Pesticide concentrations have since dropped below health-based standards. In late 1996, the city of Hospers connected affected residents to the rural water supply and abandoned the three contaminated shallow wells, removing the threat to public drinking water.

The EPA, the state of Iowa, and potentially responsible parties all contributed to the cleanup. The site was deleted from the National Priorities List in November 2001 after all cleanup goals were confirmed. A five-year review completed in September 2000 found that response actions continued to protect human health and the environment, and no additional reviews are required. Human exposure is currently under control, and no unacceptable risks remain. The site reached a ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in June 2006 and now operates as Midwest Farmers' Cooperative, used for grain storage.

Because the site has been deleted from the National Priorities List and no further cleanup activities are planned, this site profile is maintained for historical reference only. No additional five-year reviews or community updates are scheduled.