Beneath downtown Ravenswood, West Virginia, groundwater is contaminated with tetrachloroethene, also known as PCE or perchloroethylene. PCE is a solvent used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing and is considered a potential carcinogen. The plume stretches roughly 1,400 feet from beneath Broadway and Walnut Street to the city's municipal water plant, which serves about 7,100 people. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 2004 after the chemical was first detected in three municipal drinking water wells in 1989 at levels exceeding federal safety limits.
Several past industrial operations in the area, including three former dry cleaning facilities, a metal scrap heap, and waste dumps, make it difficult to pinpoint a single contamination source. The contamination affects groundwater and, through vapor intrusion, potentially indoor air in nearby buildings. EPA selected a cleanup plan in May 2011 that combines air sparging, soil vapor extraction, air stripping, water supply treatment, and monitoring. Air sparging pumps air into the groundwater to convert PCE into vapor, which is then captured and treated through carbon filtration. Contaminated soil was excavated and removed in 2015, and remedial systems became fully operational in 2016. Construction of the full groundwater remedial system was completed in May 2018.
The City of Ravenswood has also taken protective steps. It shut down one contaminated well and installed a treatment system on two affected wells to remove PCE before blending the water with uncontaminated supply. A city ordinance prohibits the digging or drilling of new groundwater wells within city limits to protect the remedy's integrity.
The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in May 2018. EPA's May 2023 Five-Year Review confirmed that the cleanup currently protects human health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, groundwater migration has stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Vapor intrusion monitoring at buildings continues twice yearly. A long-term groundwater management program is estimated to run through November 2026, and the next Five-Year Review is expected between May and July 2028.
Community members can get involved through EPA's Community Involvement Program, which supports meaningful public participation in Superfund cleanups. Community fact sheets and updates are available, and detailed administrative records can be reviewed at the Jackson County Library in Ravenswood or at the EPA Region III office in Philadelphia by appointment. Questions can be directed to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
