Strother Field Industrial Park covers about 2 square miles between Winfield and Arkansas City in Cowley County, Kansas. It started as a military airbase during World War II and was later developed into an industrial park. Today it hosts about 20 businesses and two inactive landfills, with roughly 2,300 residents living within three miles. The site was added to the National Priorities List in May 1986 after groundwater contamination was discovered in the early 1980s.
The site is contaminated with 18 volatile organic compounds, most of them chlorinated solvents. These include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, and several dichloroethene compounds. Both soil and groundwater are affected. Past operations such as engine testing, drum storage, solvent tanks, and degreasing left contamination at multiple locations across the site.
Cleanup has moved through several stages. A groundwater extraction and treatment system began operating in January 2002, with system improvements finished by April 2004. Concrete caps were placed over two contaminated soil areas, with construction completed in April 2008. The site now uses monitored natural attenuation, engineered caps, groundwater extraction, and institutional controls. Deed restrictions prohibit new drinking water wells in contaminated areas and prevent residential development. Sixteen monitoring wells are sampled twice a year to track groundwater conditions. Responsible parties Greif Brothers and General Electric are involved in ongoing work.
The current focus is on two new studies. The EPA is reviewing work plans submitted by Greif Brothers and General Electric for vapor intrusion testing and stream sampling. Sampling is expected to begin in spring 2025. A decision on whether the cleanup remedy fully protects human health and the environment has been delayed until those results are available. If sampling shows the remedy is no longer adequate, additional cleanup will be required. The Fifth Five-Year Review is scheduled to begin August 27, 2025, and be completed by September 27, 2026. In the short term, exposure pathways that could cause unacceptable risks are being controlled, but some uncertainty remains about whether current conditions fully prevent unacceptable exposure.
Community members can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager with questions or concerns. For state-related questions, contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
