MAPPING
“Mapping and mapmaking do not permit us to see the world in an objective, value-free, wholly impartial fashion. But then, as science now insists, nothing really does. Instead, maps let us study interpretations of selected aspects of a spatially grounded, interrelated process… mapping puts us inside the world in a way that considers its constitutive, dynamic relations.”
-Tom Koch
Overview
In a series of mapping exercises, we began our research on the Dico Superfund site in Des Moines, Iowa. We sought to understand the site in terms of historical and social context, planning, infrastructure, water pollution, environmental policy, toxicity, and remediation.
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.
Explore the Maps
We examined the history of Des Moines including its origins as a military fort, the ever-changing Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and the impact of transportation infrastructure on the city's industrialization and urban layout. Past and future planning efforts on the Dico site and in the greater Des Moines area were analyzed to understand the site’s role in Des Moines’ history, and we broke down the virtual and anonymous discussions from the city community concerning downtown development, and attempted to identify the city's "loudest" voices. Additionally, we studied the Dico site's transit connectivity and walkability by creating a 3/4 mile walking radius from the site and mapping existing public transportation and bike lanes.
We examined the relationship between redlined districts from the 1930s and current racial and income demographics, and we illustrated the relationships between established homeless shelters, infrastructure in downtown Des Moines, and population demographics in the area surrounding the Dico site. Furthermore, an investigation was conducted to document the locations of homeless camps that have existed over the past few years in Des Moines using the limited information given in news articles to highlight their existence. We also examined walkability in relation to the infrastructure and site surroundings.
To understand the site’s position within the entire EPA Superfund program, we analyzed toxic sites in the United States on various scales. 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. Floods in Iowa have been some of the most destructive natural disasters the state has experienced, so we examined the Dico site's relationship to the Des Moines and Raccoon River floodplains. Additionally, we researched the impact Iowa Superfund sites have had on the state's groundwater and rivers and the distribution and impact of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Farming Operations) in Iowa and their relation to water quality and contamination in the Iowa's river systems. From a legal perspective, we researched court cases from the last 25 years concerning contamination cleanup responsibilities and Dico’s claims relating to the other proximate properties they alleged were contributing to the water and soil contamination.
In our inquiry regarding the site’s toxicity, we investigated the relations between TCE water contamination and the responsibilities of each state's legal institutions on a national scale. Specific to the site, we created a plant inventory on the Dico site to infer phases of soil remediation based on plant types and mapped the distinct toxicity levels found throughout the land. The locations of heavy metal traces on the Dico site were mapped, and we researched the harmful impacts these materials can have on the human body. Finally, we investigated various methods of soil remediation and the potential use of these methods throughout the Dico site.