Sivyer Steel in Bettendorf has promised to remove the huge pile of used foundry sand at its facility along the Mississippi River over the next four years, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).
The sand, used in the molds to make castings, has accumulated on the riverfront despite Iowa regulations requiring no more than a six-month quantity to be stored on the plant property.
IDNR officials say the plant has agreed to use the foundry sand as fill in the "onion field" property along Hwy. 67, three miles east of the plant. The company is to use clean fill dirt to provide a 5-foot separation between the sand and disposal site groundwater.
Disposal of the excess foundry sand above the six-month supply on-site is to be completed in four years, according to the IDNR.
Sivyer had used foundry sand as fill in the onion field area nearly 20 years ago, but the practice was stopped after the IDNR decided a buffer of fill dirt between the sand (contaminated in the metal-making process) and the groundwater was necessary.
Sivyer is part of Meterra, a holding company that includes Riverside Products (Moline), Waukesha Foundry and operations in China, India, the United Kingdom, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Used foundry sand pile along the Mississippi Riverfront behind the Sivyer Steel Plant, Bettendorf.
Used foundry sand from the Sivyer Steel Plant is being used to fill a parcel of the "onion fields" along Hwy. 67.
Sivyer Steel has promised the Iowa Department of Natural Resources it will provide a 5-foot buffer of clean fill dirt between the sand and groundwater.
