Distler Brickyard

Overview

A brick manufacturing facility operated in West Point, Kentucky from the late 1800s until the mid-1970s. Poor waste handling left the three-acre property contaminated with chemicals in both soil and groundwater. The EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal government's roster of the most serious known or threatened releases of hazardous substances.

EPA has identified 21 contaminants of concern at the site. They include metals such as arsenic, chromium, and lead, along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including trichloroethene, benzene, and toluene, and semi-volatile compounds like naphthalene. Most of these chemicals were found in both soil and groundwater.

Cleanup started in 1982 when EPA removed 2,310 drums of chemicals and 42 truckloads of contaminated soil. A permanent groundwater treatment system ran from 1994 to 2008. Between 2001 and 2004, EPA and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection tested an approach using hydraulic fracturing with chitin injection to treat contaminated groundwater. Physical construction of the cleanup is now complete. EPA negotiated legal agreements with responsible parties to fund ongoing work. Long-term operation and maintenance activities continue under state management.

Recent groundwater sampling in 2023 and 2024 found intermittent exceedances of maximum contaminant levels for trichloroethylene and arsenic in several wells. Despite this, the remedy currently protects human health and the environment because no completed exposure pathways exist, meaning people are not being exposed to site contaminants. The EPA's most recent Five-Year Review, completed in July 2023, recommends continued groundwater and soil sampling and evaluation of whether land-based institutional controls are needed. Soil sampling was conducted in June 2025 to help answer that question. The next five-year review is estimated between August and October 2028.

Community members can get involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that EPA conducts as part of its outreach process. Physical site documents are available at the public information repository at West Point City Hall, 509 Elm Street, West Point, Kentucky 40177. Two EPA staff members are available to answer questions directly.