The National Presto Industries site covers 320 acres in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The facility made radar tubes, ordnance chemicals, artillery shells, and household appliances from the 1940s through 1980. Those operations left soil and groundwater contaminated with hazardous chemicals. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986, and it remains on that list today, though it achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use status in 2011.
EPA identified 43 contaminants of concern across the site. Chlorinated solvents, including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, were found in groundwater and some surface water. Metals such as lead, chromium, arsenic, and nickel, along with benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were detected mainly in soil. These contaminants posed unacceptable risks to human health and the environment and drove the cleanup design.
EPA issued three Records of Decision to address the contamination. A 1990 decision provided a permanent alternate drinking water supply to Hallie residents affected by groundwater plumes. A 1991 decision set up groundwater extraction wells and aeration treatment to contain those plumes. A 1996 decision expanded the work to include soil vapor extraction, removal of contaminated soil and waste from ditches and dry wells, pump-and-treat systems, and institutional controls. In 1989, as an emergency measure, National Presto Industries provided bottled water to 174 homes and 40 businesses in Hallie while longer-term solutions were put in place. Remedial construction wrapped up in 1999. A March 2024 Explanation of Significant Differences updated the 1996 remedy to add five source areas cleaned up after the original decision and to incorporate local groundwater access ordinances and Wisconsin Continuing Obligations adopted in 2019.
Today, human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized. No unacceptable risks remain for current or reasonably anticipated future land uses. The site still requires long-term groundwater treatment, soil vapor extraction, groundwater monitoring, and cap maintenance. EPA completed its most recent five-year review in July 2022, confirming the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment. The next five-year review is expected between July and September 2027. Four businesses now operate on the site, employing 460 people in warehousing and diaper manufacturing.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Public documents, including 867 administrative record files, are available for review at the Chippewa Falls Public Library, 105 West Central Street, Chippewa Falls.
