PCE Former Dry Cleaner

Overview

The PCE Former Dry Cleaner is a former dry cleaning facility in Atlantic, Iowa. It later housed an Iowa Department of Transportation materials testing laboratory. The site was listed on the National Priorities List in April 2016 after tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its breakdown products, trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethene (DCE), contaminated groundwater and reached municipal drinking water wells. EPA has identified PCE and TCE as the primary contaminants of concern in groundwater, posing unacceptable risk to human health through ingestion, vapor inhalation, or direct contact.

Cleanup work began with removal of contaminated soil and thermal treatment of source area soils in 2017, which eliminated roughly 1,007 pounds of PCE. In December 2018, EPA completed a groundwater containment system with two extraction wells. Those wells pump contaminated groundwater and treat it through air stripping, a process that removes dissolved chemicals by exposing the water to air. The system handles about 290 gallons per minute. Since July 2019, the treated water has been routed into Atlantic Municipal Utilities' drinking water treatment plant for public use. Groundwater tested after air stripping has not detected PCE.

EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 2020 selecting continued operation of the extraction and treatment system as the long-term remedy. The selected approach also includes groundwater monitoring, surface water discharge, and institutional controls. Construction was completed in September 2021. The First Five-Year Review, completed in October 2025, found the remedy is currently protective of human health and the environment. No unacceptable human exposure pathways were found, and groundwater migration has been stabilized with no contamination reaching surface water. Semi-annual groundwater sampling continues to track whether contaminant concentrations are declining.

The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List, and long-term monitoring remains active. The Superfund Redevelopment Program is also working with the community to support reuse of the site. Community members with questions can reach EPA contacts directly using the information below.