The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, will be hearing from a representative with the U-S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with regard to about a below ground contaminated site in Atlantic.  During their 5:30-p.m. meeting, the Council will hear from Susan Fisher, who also made a presentation to the Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) Board of Trustees  during their meeting on September 22nd.

AMU General Manager Steve Tjepkes says the EPA is conducting a Removal Assessment of a site in Atlantic contaminated with Tetrachloroethylene (PCE). PCE is a manufactured chemical typically used in dry cleaning solvents. The source of the contamination is believed to be the former Norge Dry Cleaners Facility near the area of 1205 E. 7th Street. Based on historical data, the building that housed the former dry cleaners was demolished sometime after 1982.

PCE was originally detected in 1980. EPA is currently reassessing the area to ensure that contamination levels at the site are protective of human health and the environment. Atlantic Municipal Utilities has operated and maintained an interceptor well since 1980 to keep the resulting underground plume migrating from the contamination site from impacting the municipal water supply well field.

Tjepkes says AMU continues to perform regular testing to monitor the public drinking water supply wells to ensure that drinking water does not become contaminated with PCE. He says also AMU is working closely with the EPA and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as they continue their assessment, to encourage cleanup efforts for the site.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a Creston woman reported early Sunday morning that someone had damaged a garage door at her resident in the 1400 block of 170th Street. The damage was estimated at $2,500. There are no suspects at this time and an investigation into the incident continues.

ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (AP) — Lab results show hundreds of capsules found at a northern Iowa prison tested negative for any controlled substances. The state Department of Public Safety made the announcement Monday about the 300 to 400 capsules found earlier this month at the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory completed an analysis of the capsules.

The pills contained an unknown substance, prompting a state drug investigation. Initial field testing indicated they contained cocaine and the pain killer Demerol, but later testing came back negative for controlled substances. State officials have not said how the capsules got inside the prison.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Environmental officials say a pipe company must pay $950,000 for air and water violations at its former Council Bluffs facility. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 says Griffin Pipe Products must pay the civil penalty after multiple violations.

The company is accused of illegally discharging untreated process wastewater to the city’s wastewater collection system between 2007 and 2008. It is also accused of violating its storm water permit in 2011. The EPA says the company also discharged zinc, lead, copper and other pollutants in violation of its permit levels.

Griffin Pipe Products has ceased production at the Council Bluff facility. It says it is now in compliance with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

A non-profit corporation in southwest Iowa has purchased a home in Red Oak, with the intention of remodeling it, and selling to a person who meets the 80-percent county median income requirements. Officials with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council) says the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund (SWIHTF), created to improve housing in southwest Iowa, purchased the home at 1200 Miller in Red Oak for the Purchase/Rehab/Resell (PRR) program.

SWIHTF bought the property September 24th from a private estate. The home was purchased with funds from the sale of previous PRR homes and a local housing trust fund grant. When the home is sold, the funds will revolve back into the revolving loan fund for the purchase of another house to rehab. The home rehabilitation will be put out to bid to local contractors this fall. The most qualified contractor with the lowest bid price will be selected for the remodeling.

1200 Miller is the fifth home purchased through the PRR program. Previous houses in the program were located in Shelby, Clarinda, Atlantic, and Stanton. SWIPCO recently completed a housing study for the city of Red Oak, which showed a need for quality affordable housing within the city, making Red Oak a high priority for a PRR house.

For more information on the purchase/rehab/resell program, or any other SWIHTF/SWIPCO program, visit www.swipco.org or contact SWIPCO Housing Director Jeremy Middents at 866-279-4720.