The Donnelsville Contaminated Aquifer is a contaminated groundwater plume located in Donnelsville and Bethel Township, Ohio. Tetrachloroethylene, commonly called PCE, is a volatile organic compound (VOC) detected in local drinking water wells during routine sampling that began in 1990. Further investigation confirmed that contaminated groundwater had migrated into those wells. The source of the contamination has not been identified. The U.S. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2018, making it eligible for long-term federal Superfund cleanup funding.
Before the formal Superfund process began, EPA took emergency action in 2011. Workers installed about 25 air strippers or activated carbon water treatment systems at homes and a community park well where VOC levels exceeded Safe Drinking Water Act standards. Additional removal actions were carried out between 2011 and 2016. These steps addressed immediate exposure concerns, but physical construction of a permanent cleanup remedy has not yet started.
The site is now in a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS). The remedial investigation defines the nature and extent of contamination and evaluates health and ecological risks. The feasibility study then weighs cleanup options. This study began in March 2020, with a second phase starting in September 2022. Both the RI/FS and the Record of Decision (ROD), which will identify the final cleanup method, are estimated to conclude between March and May 2028. Human exposure control and groundwater migration status cannot yet be determined based on available data.
EPA has developed a Community Involvement Plan for the site after meeting with residents and officials from Donnelsville, Bethel Township, and Clark County. Once the feasibility study is complete, EPA will publish a Proposed Plan for public review. The community will have 30 days to comment before EPA issues the final ROD. Residents with questions can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
