After the 15-day long blaze on the Iowa City Landfill has completely been put to a stop, the city has begun to assess the damage done and are pleasantly surprised by the end results.

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Even though news sites such as kcrg.com continue to express health warnings that are still in effect, the Johnson County Health Department and the city of Iowa state that there are no long term risks.

According to the Johnson County Health Department, there should be no lasting concern about health risks or concerns from the long blaze. The threat was there, according to Doug Beardsley, director of the Health Department, but it did not last long enough to cause significant damage.

Some of the residents of the city that lived near the landfill experienced minor problems during the fire from the smoke and debris including itchy eyes.

The levels of dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, though, according to test results, were not anything to be worried about. Warnings were issued to those with respiratory issues for purposes of caution only. No person has come to any major harm from the situation.

The only issue that remains is how to deal with the petroleum-based runoff that was collected during the fire. This material is very flammable and has been stored. The city is waiting on the Environment Protection Agency to create a plan for how to move forward with the disposal.

Other damage to the landfill is minimal and will probably not be permanent, according to sources.