For approximately fifty years, the Shilobrit family operated a laundry and dry cleaning business at 547 W. 9th Ave in Oshkosh, WI. Over the years, chemicals used in the dry cleaning process, principally Tetrachloroethene (a.k.a. PCE), were released into the environment through spillage from overflows of the dry cleaning machine and as spent PCE was transferred into the drums stored outside the building. Through a series of studies, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) determined that the PCE has migrated through the soil into the groundwater. Elevated concentrations of PCE, along with its degradation products (Trichloroethene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride), were detected by both WDNR and U.S. EPA at levels that exceed soil and groundwater standards set by state and federal law. The Site is an unsecured vacant grass lot in a mixed commercial and residential area. Dust emissions from the lot are a hazard to the public and neighbors. Contaminated groundwater from the Site also poses a risk to the Fox River and Lake Winnebago, both major recreational areas.
At the request of WDNR, U.S. EPA removed approximately 200 Tons of contaminated soil in order to eliminate the on-site and off-site risks to public health and the environment posed by the chlorinated solvents.
