Pollution & Cleanup

PFAS-Confirmed Superfund Sites in Iowa

Read this first: what follows is a statewide screening list, not a check on any specific home. A documented site somewhere in Iowa tells you nothing definitive about a particular address, which may lie many miles away. Iowa's contamination history is shaped less by heavy industry than by its agricultural backbone and scattered manufacturing and rail-corridor activity. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources partners with EPA's federal Superfund program as the state-side authority on these sites. Use the records below as context worth reviewing when evaluating an address, never as a safety verdict. They reflect what the public files document, and nothing beyond that.

Who manages contaminated-site cleanup in Iowa

On the cleanup side, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) is the state-side partner to EPA's federal Superfund program, co-managing listed sites and typically running its own state-level contaminated-site and remediation work alongside it. Where PFAS appears at a contaminated site, Iowa tends to follow the federal framework rather than a separate state standard, consistent with how it approaches PFAS in drinking water. The steadying point is simple: behind the word Superfund there is a named state office, the Iowa DNR, not just a distant federal one.

2 PFAS-confirmed Superfund sites in Iowa

From EPA's National Priorities List, filtered to sites with confirmed PFAS contamination. EPA's broader Superfund/SEMS inventory is larger and includes non-PFAS and assessment-stage sites.

SiteType / status
Iowa Army Ammunition PlantFederal · NPL: Final
Lawrence Todtz FarmPrivate · NPL: Final

Check Superfund sites near a specific Iowa address →

VetMyAddress maps nearby EPA Superfund/NPL sites and grades the address A–F alongside its water, PFAS, flood, and air data.

Free A–F preview · No credit card · We never sell your data

We start your address profile right away, then check EPA, FEMA, AirNow, public water, and Census-backed records where available. Public sources may take a short time to respond.

What this Iowalist does — and doesn't — tell you

If no PFAS-confirmed Superfund sites appear for Iowa in these records, that is reassuring, but not a full all-clear. PFAS confirmation reflects only what has been tested and reported so far, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' broader contaminated-site inventory, alongside EPA's SEMS database, reaches well past this single slice. Read an empty list as encouraging news with a fair asterisk, not as a settled question.

A site appearing on this page means EPA has confirmed PFAS contamination at a National Priorities List Superfund site somewhere in Iowa. It is a statewide screening list. It does not tell you the distance from any specific home, the exposure pathway, or whether the local drinking-water system is affected.

For a specific property, the things that actually matter are:

  • Distance to the nearest site — risk generally drops sharply with distance.
  • Contamination type & pathway — groundwater PFAS matters most if the home draws from a private well or an affected public system.
  • Cleanup stage— active vs. “construction complete” vs. deleted.
  • The home's water source— pair Superfund proximity with the property's drinking-water and PFAS data.

That address-level synthesis — nearest-site distance plus the home's full environmental profile in one A–F grade — is what the VetMyAddress report is for.

Superfund & PFAS in Iowa: common questions

Who oversees Superfund cleanup in Iowa?

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) is the state-side partner to EPA's federal Superfund program. The two co-manage contaminated-site cleanup in Iowa, with the state agency typically leading state-level remediation alongside the federal listings.

Are there Superfund sites in Iowa?

Iowa has federally tracked contaminated sites, shaped largely by its agricultural backbone and scattered manufacturing and rail-corridor activity. The table above renders the documented sites from public records, with the Iowa DNR co-managing cleanup alongside EPA.

What is the Iowa DNR?

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) is the state's environmental agency. On the cleanup side it works with EPA's federal Superfund program and oversees state-level site remediation across Iowa.

How many PFAS-confirmed Superfund sites are in Iowa?

Our curated EPA dataset lists 2 PFAS-confirmed Superfund (NPL) sites in Iowa, including Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Lawrence Todtz Farm. EPA's full Superfund inventory (including non-PFAS and assessment-stage sites) is larger — a specific-address report checks all SEMS sites near the property.

Does a nearby Superfund site affect a Iowa home?

Proximity is a starting point, not a verdict. Real-world impact depends on distance, the type of contamination, the exposure pathway (groundwater, soil, vapor), the home's water source, and the cleanup stage. A site two miles away marked 'construction complete' is very different from an active site next door.

How do I check Superfund sites for a specific Iowa address?

Use VetMyAddress to see EPA Superfund/NPL sites near any Iowa address, bundled with the home's drinking water, PFAS, flood zone, and air-quality data in a single plain-English A–F grade. EPA's own ECHO database (echo.epa.gov) is the free, official source if you prefer to dig through the raw records.

What does 'PFAS-confirmed' mean for an NPL site?

It means PFAS ('forever chemicals') have been documented in the contamination at that National Priorities List site. PFAS is persistent and can migrate through groundwater, so a confirmed PFAS site is worth pairing with the home's drinking-water and PFAS data to understand the exposure pathway.