Iowa Code § 455E.2: Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. “Active cleanup” means removal, treatment, or isolation of a contaminant from groundwater through the directed efforts of humans.

2. “Commission” means the environmental protection commission created under section 455A.6.

3. “Contaminant” means any chemical, ion, radionuclide, synthetic organic compound, microorganism, waste, or other substance which does not occur naturally in groundwater or which naturally occurs at a lower concentration.

4. “Contamination” means the direct or indirect introduction into groundwater of any contaminant caused in whole or in part by human activities.

5. “Department” means the department of natural resources created under section 455A.2.

6. “Director” means the director of the department.

7. “Groundwater” means any water of the state, as defined in section 455B.171, which occurs beneath the surface of the earth in a saturated geological formation of rock or soil.

8. “Passive cleanup” means the removal or treatment of a contaminant in groundwater through management practices or the construction of barriers, trenches, and other similar facilities for prevention of contamination, as well as the use of natural processes such as groundwater recharge, natural decay, and chemical or biological decomposition.