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Contamination was originally identified in 1986 during a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) compliance inspection at B & G Plating, 1023 East Harry St. KDHE conducted a Preliminary Assessment and Screening Site Inspection and submitted the results to EPA in November 1989. In August 1990, KDHE submitted data from a Limited Site Investigation (LSI) to the EPA. The LSI had identified widespread chlorinated solvent groundwater contamination throughout the central business district in downtown Wichita. The City of Wichita proposed a plan to address the contamination without being placed on the Superfund list in order to protect economic development of the City. The City signed a Settlement Agreement with KDHE on March 26, 1991 to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and perform certain remedial actions, which incorporated a tax increment finance district and a certificate of release program.
The Corrective Action Decision (CAD) was finalized on September 30, 1994. The CAD included institutional controls, hydraulic containment, compliance monitoring, individual source control actions, and a bioremediation pilot study. The CAD also allowed for the use of alternate clean-up levels (ACLs). The remedial system actively addresses ground water concentrations above ACLs but the compliance points must remain below Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). The City conducted additional investigation from 1996 to 1998 to identify source areas.
The construction of the extraction wells, piping, and treatment facility were completed in November 2002, and intermittent pumping of the hydraulic containment system began on November 19, 2002. Continuous operation of the containment wells and treatment system began December 30, 2002. Decline of groundwater contaminant concentrations in the western part of plume A to MCLs or below in 2011, resulted in KDHE approval to turn off the A recovery wells and pumping rates for the E plume recovery wells to be increased. The A recovery wells and associated monitoring wells are still sampled during monitoring events.
The City filed a lawsuit in 2001 against numerous parties they identified as contributors to the contamination. The City of Wichita is responsible for conducting any necessary source control actions at facilities where the parties have settled or where a viable responsible party is not identified.
Several source areas are under various stages of investigation and remedial action. Details can be found on their respective pages.
The SWE Site, which has a separate CAD, has had excavation, ISCO and SVE as remedial actions. Further investigation in 2017 identified exceedances of PCE in groundwater and soil still onsite. A work plan to address the contamination will be submitted in Q3 2018.
The Automotive Fleet Service Site was investigated in Spring 2017. Although PCE in groundwater does exceed the RSK level, the contamination is from upgradient sources, and not emanating from the Site.
The APCO Site was investigated in Spring 2017. The results of the investigation are still under regulatory review.
The Lorac and Reid Supply Sites were investigated in Spring 2018. The results of the investigation will be submitted to KDHE once compiled.
The Tri-State Laundry Supply and Harcros Sites have undergone excavations, and an AS/SVE system was installed in 2007. Shut-down tests have shown that the vadose zone has been effectively remediated.