Announcements
and Key Topics
EPA is
beginning a vapor intrusion study this winter in the residential area near the
Dry Cleaners Etc site. This study will help EPA determine if fumes from
volatile organic compounds, or VOC’s, are seeping into homes at unsafe levels.
Property owners and residents will be contacted by EPA representatives to
schedule appointments for sampling.
Background
The Dry
Cleaners Etc site is surrounded by a mixture of residential and commercial
properties, including the New London Public Library. The property was a gas
filling station from the 1930s to 1960. Dry cleaning operations, under several
different owners, began from around 1960 to 2015. The exact source of VOC
contamination is unknown but linked to historical dry-cleaning operations.
Currently, the building is leased by a video game store.
An
environmental repair case was created in August 2008 after the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, or WDNR, was notified of site assessment
results from 1997. Soil sampling that took place in 2008 and 2010 indicated
exceeding levels of VOCs in the groundwater. Additional groundwater sampling
took place in 2010, 2011, and 2019. The results showed elevated levels of VOCs
in multiple wells.
Concentrations
of VOCs in soil and groundwater led to sub-slab vapor sampling of source
building. A mitigation system was installed in source building in June 2021.
Three off-site properties have been sampled for vapors.
In October
2021, WDNR requested EPA assistance after the responsible party notified the
state agency that they were unable to continue site investigations.
What
Is the Current Site Status?
Starting this winter,
EPA will contact property owners and residents to schedule appointments for air
sampling. The sampling process will take place over a 3-day period. EPA will
use SUMMA cannisters to collect air samples overnight. EPA will remove the
canisters to send to an EPA laboratory for analysis
