The C.W. Process Site (formerly Wayne Manufacturing) is within Cedar Rapids, Iowa city limits, at the intersection of Highways 151 and 922. The former business began operations in 1956, generating cyanide wastes during production of fiberglass and steel hammer handles. Waste was managed in drums, tanks, an above ground treatment pond (until 1980), lagoons/impoundments, a septic tank, and an underground leaching bed (until 1991). The facility ceased operation in 2004 and the Site property is currently occupied by an organic farming operation. While C.W. Process Company is not currently operating, it is still registered as an active company on the Iowa Secretary of State website.
The primary contaminants of concern at the Site are cyanides and TPH, which are present in soils and groundwater. The Site is currently being utilized as a small organic farming operation. The adjacent properties are currently zoned as agriculture, with the intent of rezoning and developing residential and commercial properties. An area approximately 1,000 square feet in size was discovered during the RCRA investigation and had high concentrations of cyanide in soil and groundwater. The tenants of the Site property notified EPA that children often played in or near affected areas.
On April 2, 2019, the EPA OSC conducted additional site sampling to further determine the extent of soil and groundwater contamination at the Site. The area suspected of cyanide contamination had stressed and/or dead vegetation. There were noticeable traces of scrap fiberglass and metal materials at the surface. The additional sampling results corroborated the contaminated area discovered in the RCRA investigation, i.e., an approximate 1,000 square foot area that had some level of cyanide contamination. Total cyanides in soils were confirmed as high as 160 mg/kg in the suspected contaminated area of the Site. This concentration level is above the Removal Management Level (RML) for residential non-cancer risk for sodium cyanide (78 mg/kg) and potassium cyanide (156 mg/kg).
In November 2019, the EPA and its contractors excavated an approximately 2,000 square foot area where metal and fiberglass shavings were present. Approximately 99.31 tons of contaminated soils were shipped offsite for disposal.
