SECTION

Section Narrative

Introduction

Water; an essential part of every life, but yet, it is still endangered. Climate change continues to flourish and the world is changing. How will we deal with it? That is the question on everyone's mind, including ours. How will society change? What will the world look like in 30 years? Only time can really tell.

This project is a cumulation of various research into the DICO site in Des Moines, IA. Our focus is on water and the part it plays in everyday life as well as in climate change. Through this research, we aim to explore new ideas and new information that could be useful for the future of the Dico site and other toxic sites as well. Follow as we walk through our research, and our ideas for the future of the site.

The Present

Superfunds

Making a plan for the future is daunting. The variables, people, unknowns, and a vast array of other factors make a set plan hard to What is a Superfund site? A Superfund site is a term created by the EPA to give funds and authority to clean up contaminated sites in the US. In 1980 Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) also known as Superfund.

According to the EPA the goals are :

• Protect human health and the environment by cleaning up contaminated sites;

• Make responsible parties pay for cleanup work;

• Involve communities in the Superfund process; and

• Return Superfund sites to productive use.

The EPA is analyzing the relationship between Superfund sites and locations impacted by climate change. Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of certain natural disasters, which could damage Superfund sites—the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites. This can help understand the level of remediation necessary for each Superfund site. The Des Moines TCE Superfund site is on the list of places impacted by climate change, this context was created to help understand where and why we need to increase risk management of Superfund sites. According to the EPA, Superfund is the principal federal program for addressing sites containing hazardous substances. EPA lists some of the most seriously contaminated sites—most of which are nonfederal—on the NPL and has recorded over 500 contaminants, including arsenic and lead, at those sites. Climate change may make some natural disasters more frequent or more intense, which may damage NPL sites and potentially release contaminants, according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment. Available federal data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on flooding, storm surge, wildfires, and sea-level rise suggest that about 60 percent of all non-federal National Priorities List (NPL) sites are located in areas that may be impacted by these potential climate change effects.

Timeline History

1843 – Fort Des Moines No. 2 was constructed at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers to oversee the removal of the Sauk and Mesquakie tribes from what is now the state of Iowa before European settlers first arrived in 1845.

1851 – Des Moines was officially incorporated as a city.

1866 – The first railway connecting Des Moines to the eastern United States was completed and contributed to rapid industrial expansion in the city.

1920 – The Des Moines Foundry and Machine company built a foundry for steel, gray iron, brass, and bronze production between Southwest 16th and Southwest 18th streets—the current location of the Dico site.

1940s – Dairies Industry Company, renamed as Dico, purchased the foundry property and facilities.

1975 – TCE (Trichloroethylene) was discovered in the Des Moines water supply and Dico site was later determined to be the primary polluter.

1983 – The EPA added the Dico Plant to the National Priorities List as a Superfund site.

1987 – Pesticide contamination was discovered during the construction of the groundwater treatment system.

1993 – Titan Tire International, Inc. acquired Dico.

1994 – Interior building surfaces were cleaned and sealed, and an asphalt cap was placed over all soils with residual contamination. Routine maintenance, periodic sediment testing, and land-use restrictions were ordered.

1995 – All production was stopped at the Dico plant.

2020 – City of Des Moines will take possession of the Dico plant property after the EPA demolishes and removes contaminated structures.

2021 – Krause Group proposed USL Championship League soccer stadium to be built on the Dico plant site along with other development projects in the area including a plaza, hotels, offices, residential buildings, and a brewery.

Toxicity and CAFOS

Factory farming and the use of harmful contaminants for industry is affecting the land we live on and the water we drink. The nitrate deposits in the water are well above the levels they should, causing a need for interventions to be made. The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) directs efforts to reduce nutrient and nitrate runoff in surface water. The goal is to have a 45% reduction in annual nitrogen and phosphorus. The need for interventions is increasing not only in the world of ag but industrial and commercial sites as well. The contaminants people are leaving behind are growing and the time for remediation is now. The variety of techniques is growing and the EPA has started cracking down on sites that are not in compliance. This problem is serious and needs to be taken as such.

Legal

Dico was involved in legal battles over its site in Des Moines for over 20 years, culminating in the supposedly final court case in February of 2021. Documents and research going back to the 1970’s show though that this plot of land has been the basis of much environmental and public concerns for decades. The two cases shown in this collage, from 1995 and 2021, highlight Dico and Titan Tires’ side-stepping of the situation at hand, but also the nuanced and complicated legal processes that took place in this particular legal battle and similar cases across the country. This legal framework opened the door to context for the politics behind the site and the efforts to clean the land and water.

Similarly, the Racoon River, which runs adjacent to and was affected by Dico’s toxicity issues, was called into other legal battles by Des Moines Water Works (DMWW). DMWW was involved in a two plus years legal battle with a few Northwest Iowa counties concerning the amount of nitrates recorded at their location on the Raccoon River. Ultimately, the lawsuit was dropped because DMWW was facing the possibility of losing their power as the municipality for water for the citizens of Des Moines. Had the lawsuit continued, DMWW would have likely seen its company broken up. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) has pushed DMWW not to forego legal battles and continue to push for water quality policies to be taken to court. But, groups like Iowa Partnership for Clean Water advise against legal involvement to rather pursue conversations and collaborative efforts between rural and urban Iowans in improving water quality. Des Moines city councilwoman, Chris Hensley, stated: “Legal action will create a divide between urban and rural Iowa and do nothing to reduce Nitrogen levels. Collaboration will increase participation in conservation efforts, such as the Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), and make a positive impact on water quality.” Data taken and research done through Iowa’s NRS has shown that since its founding, nutrients, such as Nitrogen and Nitrate, have significantly been reduced and continue to lower in Iowa’s waterways. While paths of action remain unclear as to what is the best approach, all can agree that water quality must improve.

DMWW saw a possibility in being dismantled as a private utility and being run by a couple of boards, making the water services a competition rather than a monopoly, had the lawsuit gone forward. While controversial, it dealt with the tax rates increasing for Des Moines citizens and indirectly the legal battle that the company was involved in. While the company did not close at that time, former CEO of DMWW, Bill Stowe, believed the conversation about un-privatizing the company to be about water litigation rather than financial concerns for citizens of Des Moines.

The Future

Ruins

Ruins. The windows to the past. They allow us to imagine a life completely different from our own while fostering a sense of awe and longing for a time we can no longer remember. The collective memories ruins instill into present-day viewers are a point of interest when thinking about ruins and what they do for us as a society. Why do ruins create so many emotions when we look at them? Why are they still standing? And what can we learn from them? The mystery behind ruins is part of their allure. They pull people to visit and in turn teach them something new, giving them a new learning platform for ensuring a better and lasting society. The value of ruins shows through continued conversations and what we learn from them. Every day a new discovery is made that teaches us more about our past and that past can help to inform our future — A future that is better and brighter for everyone.

Midwest Ruins

Ruins aren’t just the pristine examples one often thinks about like the Roman Forums or the pyramids; they can be anything and anywhere. They might be in your own backyard. The Midwest gives way to many ruins as urban flight becomes more prevalent and rural communities begin to shrink. The industrialization the Midwest once experienced has slowed and with it the industrial buildings and sites, creating new ruins even in big cities. These dilapidated buildings are often thought of as an eyesore, but what about the memories they hold? Or the beauty they once created? The histories they create remind us often of uncomfortable times in our past and the ugliness of industrialization, but this can be used as a learning point just like the ruins we look up to today. The histories and pasts they teach us about give valuable lessons for our future going forward. As we take ruins away we take away the ability to remember the site and learn from it. The memory of the sites and what they stand for are just as important as the lessons they teach. Collective memories are important for instilling community awareness and cohesiveness. So why aren’t we keeping some of them? All we do is raze them to the ground without a second thought to make room for something that is newer, bigger, and better, or so they say. Perhaps, we should use these sites the same way we use other ruins.

Site Ruin

While looking at the greater history of Dico and Titan Tires, it is hard to see their presence on the Des Moines site with little more than chagrin. By wreaking havoc on local ecosystems and leaving the site while feuding with the EPA, the companies leave few memories and much disrepair. “Memory,” in fact, seems to hold more fondness for the past residents than is fitting. How do we justify “remembrance” of a place so tarnished with toxicity, in the literal and figurative sense?

In fact, we may ask ourselves, why remember Dico’s presence and ruins at all? In a city brimming with life and future goals, it would seem easiest to forge forward without acknowledging the painful past.

And yet, we find value for the site by remembering what took place there and holding that cognizance in appropriate esteem. The remnants are important to recognize but they do not dictate the potential held within the soil. The dichotomy of the arduous past and the uncertain future find us in the hard-won present. We can now take this knowledge and hope and set a plan for the site that proffers value in a new sense.

Des Moines

Making a plan for the future is daunting. The variables, people, unknowns, and a vast array of other factors make a set plan hard to establish, much less market to the greater city. Yet, we see the Dico site and potential plans for remediation as an example for other local superfunds. While we admit that our proposals for the Dico site request revision and additional input, we see the steps that we are already taking to repair and prepare for the future as an encouragement. Toxic environments do not need to continue on without reform. Dico’s site may have been a blight on the area of downtown Des Moines, but with reparation, it can instead stand as a beacon of hope for remediation and a call to action.

Toxicity

The toxicity of the Dico site is clear; remediation is necessary and can no longer be ignored. Superfund sites and the toxicity they have created can be detrimental to surrounding communities and public health. Cleaning them is beneficial to all, but ensuring to not forget what has happened in that past is just as crucial. Forgetting about the toxicity we have let run rampant allows for the same mistakes to be made over and over again. The reminder of this horrible history lets us learn from it to ensure it never happens again and we continue to foster healthy living for all living things not only humans.

Future

In preface of the following proposals for the future, we humbly admit that we cannot plan perfectly. That being said, we have been conscientious of everything written above and put a great deal of thought into these proposals.

Foremost, we see this site as a place of education. As alluded to in earlier sections, this site can be used as a model for other sites, both locally and potentially in the larger context of the Midwest. Learning from and supporting one another is key if we want to continue living on this planet.

However, the city of Des Moines currently has a different vision for the site. Des Moines has proposals for a soccer stadium to be constructed on the site. The Krause group has invested time and money to turn this point of Des Moines into an economic center. Creating not only a soccer stadium but hotels and shopping districts. This proposal ignores the remediation of the site, opting to cover the site by capping it in concrete instead of really fixing the toxins in the soil. It also allows for us to ignore what has happened there by simply demolishing it quickly and removing the memories of the place before there is time to consider alternate possibilities.

We think there are better options for the site, though we admit we do not know what will happen in 20-30 years. We believe it is not in our control to make that decision but instead, take care of the site and fix the toxicity until the time comes to use the site in a meaningful way.

Covering up what has happened is an outcome we do not support. The Dico site is a reminder of what has taken place and what we should avoid in the future. So, what will the world look like 5, 10, 20 years from now? Will climate and water policy be any stricter? Will there be more community involvement? Will NOTHING change? Our future and our planet are important so how do we work together to ensure a positive change? These are all questions we will continue to ask ourselves as the years go by but for now, we chose to focus on the present and what we can do to change it.