Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
3/07/2007
Final Date
9/19/2007
Five Points PCE Plume
Site Status & Updates
- Work began on the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study in 2008.
- After a 60-day comment period, on September 19, 2007 Five Points PCE Plume was placed on the final National Priorities List (NPL).
- During the summer of 2007, contaminated soil and an underground storage tank were removed from the property of Your Valet Cleaners.
- The site was proposed for listing on the National Priorities List (NPL) in the Federal Register on March 7, 2007.
Site Description
The Five Points PCE Plume site (Five Points) is an area of groundwater contamination that exists below ground level. The groundwater plume is located approximately at the intersection of West 1500 South and State Highway 106, extending to the west-northwest. The location of the plume, based on current information, lies primarily under the city of Woods Cross.
View map of the Five Points PCE Plume Superfund Site boundaries (PDF, 81K)
The site consists of a groundwater plume of tetrachloroethylene (PCE)—sometimes called perchloroethylene (PERC)—that is used as a dry cleaning agent or metal degreaser. Woods Cross has four municipal water wells that provide drinking water to the community of 9,795 people. Two of these four wells are contaminated with PCE. One of the wells consistently shows PCE levels exceeding the safe drinking water standard of 5 parts per billion (ppb). This well provides over 33 percent of Wood Cross city's water supply and has been shut down since February 1999 because of PCE contamination. The other affected well containing PCE shows levels below the safe drinking water standard.
Site Risk
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| groundwater | tetrachloroethylene (PCE), also known as perchloroethylene (PERC) | unknown |
The contaminant of concern is tetrachloroethylene (PCE), primarily used in the dry cleaning process and as a metal degreaser. Another name for the substance that is frequently used by those in the dry cleaning business is perchloroethylene (PERC). PCE is found in the groundwater, but the drinking water in this area is municipal water which meets the Safe Drinking Water standard. Woods Cross monitors this water regularly.
Two of the four wells Woods Cross city uses to supply drinking water to its citizens are contaminated with PCE. One of these wells is no longer pumping water, but will be needed in the next few years to help meet increased demand.. The other affected well contains PCE levels below the safe drinking water standard. It is possible that concentrations of PCE will increase over time if the groundwater contamination is not addressed. Placing the site on the NPL list allows EPA to address this situation before conditions deteriorate.
Cleanup Progress
Early in 2008, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) assumed the lead on this site. Work began on the Remedial Investigation (RI) in 2008. During the RI, the extent, or boundaries, of the plume will be identified and what source(s) might be contributing to the contamination in the groundwater.
EPA's Removal program worked with a nearby dry cleaner during the summer of 2007 to remove an old underground storage structure that contained PCE. This action only partially addressed the source of contamination. This action does not address the contaminated groundwater.
Community Involvement
Throughout the cleanup process, Superfund law requires that stakeholders and the community be given every opportunity to have meaningful input on how the plume is cleaned up. First, a Community Involvement Plan (CIP) is prepared, acknowledging any concerns or issues the community and other stakeholders may have. The CIP outlines how EPA and UDEQ will communicate with the public about future work, opportunities for commenting on decisions, and other pertinent information. Some methods used for communicating with the public include: fact sheets, public notices, public meetings, press releases and this Web page.
Site Documents
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Five Points PCE Plume Fact Sheet, February 2007 (PDF, 2 pp, 123K)
Narrative Summary, March 2007 (PDF, 1 pg, 63K)
Proposal Timeline. March 2007 (PDF, 1 pg, 12K)
Comment directions for HRS package, March 7–May 7, 2007 (PDF, 1 pg, 13K)
HRS Package, March 2007 (PDF, 17 pp, 252K)
Groundwater Policy for Landowners above Plumes, May 1995 (PDF, 10 pp, 1 MB)
Contacts
EPA
Sam Garcia
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (EPR-SR)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-8917
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6247 (toll free Region 8 only)
garcia.sam@epa.gov
Peggy Linn
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (OC)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6622
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6622 (toll free Region 8 only)
linn.peggy@epa.gov
UDEQ
Tony Howes
State Project Manager
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Environmental Response and Remediation
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4283
thowes@utah.gov
Dave Allison
State Community Involvement Coordinator
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Environmental Response and Remediation
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4479
dallison@utah.gov
Links
Utah Department of Environmental Quality