Des Moines County, IA
The federal environmental record for Des Moines County (population 38,253): what is on file, where it is, and what remains open. Sources and retrieval dates are on the methodology page.
1
Superfund NPL sites
3
federal cleanup sites
3
PFAS-detecting water systems
9
TRI facilities
3
open tank releases
Superfund NPL sites
| Site | City | Status | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Army Ammunition Plant | Middletown | on the NPL | 08/30/1990 |
Drinking water: PFAS testing
Public water systems serving Des Moines with at least one PFAS detection under UCMR5. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L; EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits for the other compounds, which are shown for information.
| System | Highest results | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| WEST BURLINGTON MUNI. WATER SUPPLY IA2985002 | PFBA: 33 ng/L PFPeA: 12 ng/L PFOA: 5.3 ng/L | above final limit |
| RATHBUN REG WTR ASSN (BURLINGTON) IA0400902 | PFBA: 32 ng/L PFPeA: 13 ng/L | detected |
| BURLINGTON MUNICIPAL WATERWORKS IA2909053 | PFBA: 18 ng/L PFPeA: 6.2 ng/L PFBS: 6.2 ng/L | detected |
On a system with detections? Testing and treatment options
Facilities reporting toxic releases (2024)
9 facilities in Des Moines filed TRI reports for 2024, totalling 68k lb released.
| Facility | City | Top chemicals | Total released |
|---|---|---|---|
| SILGAN CONTAINERS MANUFACTURING CORP | BURLINGTON | n-Butyl alcohol, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene | 32k lb |
| BIG RIVER RESOURCES WEST BURLINGTON LLC | WEST BURLINGTON | n-Hexane, Acrolein | 26k lb |
| US ARMY IOWA ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT | MIDDLETOWN | Nitroglycerin, Dibutyl phthalate | 6k lb |
| DIAMOND VOGEL INC. | BURLINGTON | Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylbenzene | 2k lb |
| CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC | BURLINGTON | Manganese | 840 lb |
| TENNECO ( FEDERAL MOGUL IGNITION LLC)(CHAMPION SPARK PLUG) | BURLINGTON | Nitric acid, Ammonia | 506 lb |
| HAWKEYEPEDERSHAAB CONCRETE TECHNOLOGIES INC. | MEDIAPOLIS | Manganese, Chromium | 425 lb |
| IDEAL READY MIX - WEST BURLINGTON | WEST BURLINGTON | Lead | 420 lb |
| US GYPSUM SPERRY | MEDIAPOLIS | Lead And Lead Compounds, Mercury And Mercury Compounds | 76 lb |
Underground fuel tanks
EPA's UST Finder records 168 tank facilities in Des Moines: 104 tanks in service and 395 closed. 82 fuel releases are on record, of which 3 remain open. Open releases are cleanups that have not reached "no further action".
Radon
EPA maps Des Moines as Zone 1, the highest predicted indoor radon levels (over 4 pCi/L average). Radon and air quality are covered in depth on lung.com.
The record for one specific address
County figures blur what matters: distance. The Address Environmental Report runs these same federal datasets against one address and reports every site, tank, polluter and water result around it, with distances, in about a minute.
Get the report - $39All federal cleanup sites on file
The wider Superfund enterprise inventory (SEMS) for Des Moines, including sites assessed but never listed. Presence here records that EPA had reason to look, not a finding of danger.
- U S POSTAL SERVICE - BULK MAIL CENTERDES MOINES
- US ARMY IOWA ARMY AMMUNITION PLANTMIDDLETOWN
- VAN WATERS ROGERS - BURLINGTONBURLINGTON