Two former dry cleaning facilities in Vienna, West Virginia released tetrachloroethene, commonly called PCE, into the ground beneath roughly 20 city blocks near the Ohio River. PCE reached the city's municipal drinking water wells by 1992, with levels as high as 310 micrograms per liter, far above the federal safe drinking water limit of 5 micrograms per liter. Four of the city's 12 production wells were shut down. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1999.
The contaminants of concern in groundwater are PCE, trichloroethene (TCE), and 1,2-dichloroethane. PCE is also present in soil. EPA selected a cleanup approach in a Record of Decision issued September 27, 2002. That approach uses air sparging, which injects air into groundwater underground, soil vapor extraction, which pulls contamination out of soil underground, and off-gas treatment. Remedial construction ran from July 2004 to August 2005. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection took over long-term operations and maintenance in January 2017.
Vapor intrusion testing found no concerning PCE levels in nearby buildings, and the city's current municipal water supply is uncontaminated. A sparge curtain protects active wells. Human exposure is currently considered under control. However, the migration of contaminated groundwater is not yet stabilized, and the remedy has not been functioning as originally intended. EPA completed a five-year review in December 2024 and launched a Supplemental Remedial Investigation to evaluate ways to optimize or modify the cleanup. A Record of Decision Amendment for the groundwater area is estimated to be finalized between May and July 2028. A city ordinance adopted in May 2015 bans new groundwater wells within Vienna's limits.
Field work for the supplemental investigation was set to begin in December 2024 and run through late April 2025, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Work includes installing monitoring wells, passive soil gas investigation, and vapor intrusion sampling. Residents and businesses should expect to see drill rigs and work trucks in the area. EPA will contact property owners to request access before work begins. Roads are expected to stay open, and EPA will take steps to limit noise and dust. A public information session will be held after data collection to share results and next steps. Site documents are available at the Vienna Public Library at 2300 River Road, Vienna, WV 26105, or at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia by appointment at (215) 814-2396.
