A groundwater plume containing chlorinated solvents spreads roughly 0.3 to 0.75 miles in various directions from the intersection of 54th Street and Andrews Highway in Odessa, Texas. The contamination was first detected in December 2006 in a private well at a vehicle repair and towing company. The source of the contamination has not been identified. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2021 after Texas referred it to the EPA for investigation and potential cleanup.
Five chlorinated solvents make up the plume: tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA), 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), and 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE). These contaminants threaten the Trinity/Antlers portion of the Edwards-Trinity Plateau Aquifer System, the primary groundwater source for Ector County. About 909 people within 4 miles of the plume depend on this aquifer. Currently, 14 contaminated wells serve 149 residents or workers for drinking water, and six of those wells contain contamination above Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Texas has provided public water hookups or filtration systems for those six wells.
The remedial investigation started in September 2021 and is expected to finish between August and October 2028. That investigation is combined with a feasibility study, which will evaluate cleanup options. A Record of Decision (ROD), which will document the chosen remedy, is also expected by that same timeframe. Physical cleanup construction has not begun. There is not yet enough data to confirm whether human exposure is under control or whether the spread of contaminated groundwater has stabilized.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
