On May 2, 2022, EPA Region 7 received a Request for Federal Action (RFA) from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR). Sampling conducted by MoDNR identified tetrachlorotheylene (PCE) above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in a private well located at a residential property on Canepa Estates Road in Festus, Missouri. MoDNR referred the entire site with an emergency request to mitigate the drinking water concerns at the residential property, in addition to continuing evaluation of other drinking water wells potentially affected by the plume and evaluating the potential for exposure via the vapor intrusion pathway.
EPA Region 7 mobilized to the site on May 18, 2022, and initiated an emergency action to install a whole-house water filtration system at the impacted residential property. From October 2022 to March 2023, EPA Region 7 conducted additional private well water sampling and vapor intrusion sampling in the residential area and identified two additional properties with private well PCE concentrations greater than the MCL. In May 2023, EPA installed a whole-house filtration system at one property and EPA was denied access to the second property. Additional groundwater and soil sampling was conducted to identify the extent and source of the contamination, however, the results were inconclusive.
On December 6, 2023, the site was referred to the EPA Site Assessment Program for further evaluation.
