The City of Keokuk is the owner of the property and has shown an interest in redeveloping the Site. Future anticipated land use is industrial/light industrial business. The Elkem Carbide site (the Site) is a 79-acre property and currently hosts nine vacant structures (formerly used to manufacture carbide products) and grassy/wooded land. The Site has been vacant since 2008 and is located within an area characterized by mixed land use including industrial, commercial, agricultural, and residential properties, with the nearest residence located approximately 250 feet to the southeast. The Site is bounded to the north by Carbide Lane, with undeveloped land and Amsted Rail beyond; to the east by Keokuk Animal Services, with Soap Creek, railroad tracks, Newberry Towing and Recovery, and industrial and commercial development beyond; to the south by wooded, undeveloped land, with agricultural land and Seither & Cherry (mechanical contractors), McDowell Crane, Tri-State Sheet Metal, and former Archer Daniels Midland Milling Company plant (closed in 2022 and purchased by Twin Rivers Storage) beyond; and to the west by U.S. Highway 61, with undeveloped land and Hog Thief Creek beyond.
Historical documentation indicates the Site was converted from farm use to industrial manufacturing in 1915, when a secondary zinc smelter was constructed by River Smelting and Refining Company, a subsidiary of National Lead Company. In 1916, a Frary metal (a lead allow hardened by calcium and barium) plant was constructed in 1916 by United Lead Company, also a subsidiary of National Lead Company. In 1919, smelting operations ceased and shifted to ball bearing production. In 1929, United Lead Company merged with Shawinigan Products to form Midwest Carbide Corporation, and operations shifted to calcium carbide production. In 1952, Midwest Carbide Company reportedly began production of Soderberg electrode paste by combining calcinated anthracite coal with coal tar pitch. In the late 1980s, calcium carbide production was shut down, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a closure plan for the "Drum Storage and Carbide Waste Landfill" site. In 2007, production of all other products ceased, and the Site was left idle. In 2008, Carbide Lane Properties, LLC purchased the Site from Elkem Metals Company. in 2015, the Site was then sold to 365 Carbide Lane, LLC. In 2021, the Site was condemned by the City of Keokuk and has remained vacant to at least 2024.
In August 2016, a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), Phase II ESA, and Hazardous Materials Survey were completed as part of a Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) for the Site. In April 2018, an updated Phase I ESA was completed for the Site. In 2018, an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant was awarded for the Site in 2018 (BF97764601). In November 2020, a Phase I ESA was completed for the Site. In August and December 2021, two consecutive Phase II ESAs were performed on different portions of the Site. In July 2022, an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) was completed for the Site. In October 2022, the City of Keokuk submitted an Application for TBA to EPA Region 7, which was awarded and funded to assist future cleanup efforts and delineate any remaining data gaps regarding an approximately 26-acre area situated in the west- and south-most portions of the 79-acre Site. The 26-acre area for further assessment is largely undeveloped (grassy and wooded) with the exception of an approximately 30,000-square-foot former foundry building, which is located in the southwest portion of the 79-acre Site. Further, the City of Keokuk has indicated close coordination with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) regarding future potential cleanup activities. The City of Maquoketa obtained a letter from IDNR indicating the Site was eligible to be enrolled in the IDNR Land Recycling Program (LRP) (IDNR's voluntary response program). The City of Maquoketa intends to enroll