In Bondurant, Iowa, thousands of tons of construction debris are being disposed of by burial, a move that is not being supported by officials from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The burial procedure has raised some controversy. Polk County District Judge Joel Novak ordered the burial as part of a settlement earlier this year. The debris in question had been sitting for four years at the former Mid-Iowa Plaza truck stop.

According to James Brick, the lawyer representing the city of Bondurant, environmental officials denied permission for the burial, forcing the city to bring the matter before Judge Novak to resolve “a major nuisance to city officials and residents.” He added: “This has been an ongoing problem for almost four years and had to be resolved…There is odor and other problems developing at the site, and we took this approach to resolve it. This is a problem that had to be resolved, and we decided to do it in a way that will be environmentally safe and affordable.”

In response, Jon Tack, a lawyer for the Department of Natural Resources, explained “To the extent the proposal is intended to request authorization for noncompliance (with environmental rules), such application is denied.” Tack thinks it is likely that the construction debris may contain asbestos, a material favored in past decades that is now linked to cancers such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma can lie dormant for many decades before symptoms emerge. The cancer affects thousands each year in the United States.

An estimated 64,000 tons of recycled construction debris would be dumped at the burial site, a move likely to cost around $360,000. This may seem like a big price tag, but in comparison, moving the debris to the Metro Waste Authority landfill for disposal would cost $1.3 million. Excavation for burial of the debris will be finished by year’s end.

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