About Madison-Kipp
Madison-Kipp Corporation is an aluminum die casting factory that has operated continuously on Madison’s East Side since 1902. It is Madison’s oldest operating polluter. Originally a manufacturer of machine lubricants, it is currently an aluminum foundry that manufactures auto parts and other metal machine components. Madison-Kipp has two factory facilities in the heart of Madison’s residential Atwood/Fair Oaks neighborhoods: the original factory location at 2824 Atwood Ave (between Waubesa and Marquette streets) and a second location nearby at 166 S. Fair Oaks Ave, which opened in 1987. Two newer facilities in Sun Prairie, WI and Richmmond, IN opened in 2006 and 2021, respectively. The company’s Madison factories are closely surrounded on all sides by residential homes, low-income apartments, businesses, parks, a bike path, an elementary school, and a community center.
Madison-Kipp’s pollution resume is long and varied. Over the years it has used a great many highly toxic materials in its various manufacturing processes, such as dioxin and many VOCs including PCB, PAH, PCE, and TCE. These and other toxins are or have been discharged into the air via the factories’ smokestacks and are also present at high levels in the soil and groundwater around the factory and in a giant underground contamination “plume” that has traveled thousands of feet from the factory site. Soil contamination also causes vapor intrusion in nearby homes, where toxins present in the soil vaporize into buildings and are breathed in by the inhabitants. Much more detailed information about the contamination can be found in all the articles linked below.
When Maria Powell and her family moved to the Atwood neighborhood in Madison in 1998, it wasn’t long before she discovered that her new neighborhood – one of Madison’s hippest areas – was home to a nasty secret: the Kipp factories, which had been polluting the surrounding air, water, and soil for a century already and were actively continuing to do so. Maria and her husband Jim quickly got involved in community activism and soon became some of the leading voices protesting against Kipp’s pollution and fighting for protection of the factory workers and all the surrounding residents. Maria worked determinedly on this issue for many years; the struggle was not just against Kipp itself, but against local government and agencies who appeared more interested in protecting Kipp’s interests than in safeguarding the health of Madison’s citizens and waterways. Even after moving away from the area, Maria continued to be in involved with Kipp activism until her death in 2023. With her decades of involvement and extensive research, she was without a doubt the leading source of knowledge on the history of the company, its widespread pollution issues, and the many years of citizen-led efforts to fight back.
History of Madison-Kipp Corporation
From Maria Powell’s Poisoning Paradise: An Environmental History of Madison:
1918-1919: Kipp workers and others attempt to unionize
1930-1940: Kipp and Oscar Mayer thrive
1940s: War great for Madison and Kipp
More recent news and information about Madison-Kipp
From the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO):
***For the complete list of all MEJO’s Kipp-related articles, click here
Ignorance is Bliss series:
This 2013 series by Maria Powell takes an in-depth look at Madison-Kipp’s extensive pollution and contamination issues, focusing on the Goodman Community Center which is located next door on a highly contaminated site:
Ignorance is Bliss, Part 1: Environmental justice issues at Madison-Kipp and Goodman Community Center ignored
Ignorance is Bliss, Part 2: Forgot to follow WI pollution laws? No worries, DNR doesn’t mind
Ignorance is Bliss, Part 3: Toxic contaminants spewing from Madions-Kipp? Don’t worry, there is no risk!
Ignorance is Bliss, Series Supplement: Remember the Kipp Dioxin Debacle?
Soil and Groundwater Contamination:
2021: Lo and behold, the Madison-Kipp poison plume is still there!
2018: Kipp’s carcinogenic chemicals still vaporizing into surrounding neighborhood
2016: Madison-Kipp’s pollution cleanup is nowhere near complete
2014: How far north is the Kipp plume? Kipp doesn’t want the public to know
2013: Kipp’s PCE contamination plume under – and past? – Lowell School
2013: New data maps show widespread Kipp pollution
2013: “Shocking” levels of contaminants found at Madison-Kipp in recent tests
Air Pollution:
2015: Madison-Kipp Clean Air Act violations: MEJO responds to Kipp CEO
Goodman Community Center:
2017: EPA-funded report recommends pollutant testing for Goodman Community Center
2014: Goodman Center splash pad at Kipp – A “healthy and safe place” for “good clean fun”?
2014: “Forgotten” Kipp toxic hotspot bubbles to surface next to Goodman Community Center
2013: Kipp’s contaminant plume under Goodman Community Center – Are children exposed? Nobody knows…
Kipp Raingarden (AKA Toxic Sludgegarden) and Nearby Bike Path:
2018: Overview of the Kipp PCB raingarden saga – it’s not over yet!
2016: What a surprise! More PCBs found in city-owned Kipp raingarden
2017: Madison-Kipp’s PCBs continue to pollute area along city bike path
2013: Oops! Maybe a raingarden for Kipp’s toxic runoff wasn’t a good idea after all?
Risks to Factory Workers:
2016: Kipp CEO refuses to answer questions about how company is addressing risks to factory workers
2014: Is Kipp a safe place to work? Cleaning employee fired by contractor for asking
2014: High levels of PCBs being excavated from Kipp floors – Are workers protected?
Lawsuits and Fines Against Kipp:
2017: Kipp pleased with paltry DOJ penalty
2017: What ever became of the DOJ lawsuit against Kipp? Brief timeline of the lawsuit
2015: EPA fines Madison-Kipp for air violations; Goodman Center gets AC in the deal!
2013: Kipp settles lawsuit, silences neighbors with money, and denies responsibility
2013: Neighbors settles for $7.2 million but many Kipp environmental injustices still not addressed
Kipp Activists Remembered:
2023: Madison just lost one of its best environmental assets – Remembering Maria Powell
2023: MEJO founder Dr. Maria Powell has passed away
2018: Anne G. Chacon, 1942-2018 – Kipp neighbor and activist
2018: Sharon Helmus, your courageous Kipp resistance will be remembered!
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