SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (KTIV) – Gelita USA held an open house Friday, July 10, to celebrate the completion of a new wastewater treatment facility at its plant near Sergeant Bluff, marking the end of years of regulatory violations tied to its discharge into the Missouri River.

Gelita manufactures gelatin and collagen, ingredients used in food, medicine, and supplements. That manufacturing process produces large amounts of contaminated wastewater containing proteins, fats, and ammonia, a substance categorized as a toxic pollutant.

According to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources sampling inspection from March 2025, the plant was processing nearly double its design capacity. Before the upgrade, the Iowa State lab documented black water in the Missouri River near the facility’s discharge site. The Iowa DNR found Gelita had exceeded ammonia limits multiple times.

The report said that at the outfall to the Missouri River, Iowa DNR Tom Ross observed that the effluent had a black coloration. Roos requested additional testing at this location.

“Following the inspection, the discharge location on the Missouri River was visited. During the visit, the effluent at the river appeared to be a dark color, much different then the effluent observed at the treatment facility. It was explained during the visit, the color of the discharge to the river was a violation of 567-61.3(2) ‘c’, lowa Administrative Code, which states that all surface waters shall be free from materials attributable to wastewater discharges or agricultural practices producing objectionable color, odor, or other aesthetically objectionable conditions.”

Jeff Tolsma, General Manager of Gelita USA, said the upgrade was the result of an extended dialogue with regulators and upgraded technology.

The new facility includes ultraviolet disinfection, a feature the old plant did not have. The UV light treatment damages the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms before discharge, improving the company’s compliance with Iowa DNR standards.

Company, regulators call it a turning point

“We met with the EPA and the Iowa DNR probably 18 months, two years ago. It’s been a long dialogue with them, but they were great partners, great to work with,” Tolsma said. “And this wastewater treatment plant allows us to basically meet those new regulations that have been put in place. I think what is significant is that this actually brings us forward from a compliance standpoint for a long-term sustainable operation.”

The Iowa DNR said it will continue monitoring the facility to ensure ongoing compliance.

Gelita USA has operated in the Siouxland area for approximately 30 years and employs around 200 people.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Andrew McKeever is hard to miss at an Iowa practice. The St. Mary’s transfer and center stands 7 feet, 3 inches tall and averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season.

‘Nothing like I’ve seen in practice’

Teammates have taken notice of McKeever’s size. Forward Trey Thompson said the center’s hands alone drew a reaction.

“Yeah, he’s big. That’s for sure. I saw him looking at his phone and it looked like a tiny, little iPod in his hand. I was like, ‘Geez, man,’” Thompson said.

Forward Joey Matteoni said McKeever’s presence in the paint stands apart from what he has seen in recent seasons.

“He controls the paint for sure and nothing like I’ve seen in practice the last couple of years. No offense to Cam (Manyawu), but I mean 7′3” is just different,” Matteoni said.

McKeever on why Iowa made sense

McKeever said the decision to transfer to Iowa was straightforward.

“It was a pretty obvious choice for me,” McKeever said. “Their team was so good last year, making an Elite 8 run. I was maybe a key piece that they needed with a little bit more size, even though their bigs were good, but they just didn’t have the height as some of the other teams did in the Big Ten. So I figured I could help in that way.”

From baseball to basketball

McKeever was not always a basketball player. He stood around 6 feet, 2 inches early in high school before a significant growth spurt changed his trajectory.

“I was like 6′2” during COVID and then I grew to 6′10″ when I was out of COVID. I was playing baseball at the time, and I was like, yeah, I got to go to basketball. I locked in during my sophomore season,” McKeever said.

His high school coach pushed him to make the switch permanent.

“My high school coach who I had been with growing up said, ‘You need to stop playing baseball and just focus on basketball.’ That’s kind of when it flipped the switch for me,” McKeever said.

Adjusting to his own size

Even after committing to basketball, McKeever said adapting to his own frame took time.

“Maybe a little uncoordinated and slow for my size. But I kind of worked on it a lot when I was at St. Mary’s and I got better at it,” McKeever said.

McKeever now joins Iowa’s program under head coach Ben McCollum.