Union Pacific shared updates on the 29th and Grove remediation plan at an open house on Saturday. Residents were able to see results of indoor air sampling and hear about the next phase of groundwater treatment.
The meeting was the seventh community event held about the Union Pacific contamination spill of trichloroethene (TCE), a carcinogenic chemical that can evaporate into the soil and air.
The spill was first discovered in 1994, but is suspected to have happened decades before.
Experts at the open house shared poster diagrams of the affected zone, the indoor air sampling process and the locations of groundwater treatment systems.
Remediation progress and next steps
Union Pacific conducted four rounds of indoor air sampling at more than 20 properties. Known as vapor intrusion testing, the process tested for pollutants that enter buildings through underground chemicals transforming into gas.
Results indicated TCE levels well below risk-based standards for indoor air quality established by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Matt Graham, general director of environmental management at Union Pacific, said the company is waiting for permit approval on four groundwater treatment systems for the next phase of cleanup.
“The systems will extract groundwater, and it'll go through a system to clean that groundwater such that we can then re-inject that water down into the water table,” he said.
Union Pacific currently has one groundwater treatment system at Murdoch that treats 5 million gallons a month. The company expects the additional systems will allow them to complete the groundwater cleanup within the next 10 years.
The company also conducted a neighborhood survey last year to identify active private wells in the area. None of the 50 residents who responded had active drinking wells.
Graham said Union Pacific is committed to transparency with the community.
“The state will be hosting [a meeting] as soon as the remedial design is the final approval,” he said. “Union Pacific will host them as things change, there's new information to share or to keep the information fresh to make sure we're reaching as many folks in the community as we can.”
Community response
Inafay Grays-McClellan lived in the contaminated area for 27 years.
She no longer lives in the affected area, but said she wanted to stay informed about the history of the site and ongoing cleanup efforts.
“[I came] to familiarize myself with more information that they may have that I don't have and tell other people,” she said.
Grays-McClellan and her family used well water to water their garden and peach and apple trees, but did not complete the groundwater survey since she moved out of the area. She said Union Pacific isn't reaching all impacted residents effectively.
“One of the guys at my senior group had the information," she said. "They're not publicizing it enough. They just put these little graphs up [at the open house], and that’s not telling you anything."
She was able to complete a form for Union Pacific to contact her about her groundwater usage.
County Commissioner Ryan Baty attended the open house. He said the event is a start to open dialogue with the community.
“In Sedgwick County alone, we have over 220 active water contamination sites that the community isn't aware of,” he said. “As an elected representative, I've got to work hard to make sure people are more aware of water contamination, how it impacts their lives and what we're doing to help remediate these issues.”
He said he’d like to see more collaboration between the city, county and state health departments to improve communication with residents.
“We can do a much better job in reforming the system in government that helps to manage these things and communicate to the citizens,” he said.
Residents who were unable to attend Saturday’s event or would like more information can schedule one-on-one meetings with Union Pacific experts by emailing 29grove@up.com or calling 866-896-7511.
