Lee Chemical operated as a solvent packaging and distribution facility in rural Clay County, Missouri, near Liberty, from 1965 to 1975. The city of Liberty found trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in groundwater in 1979. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986. The NPL is the federal list of contaminated sites that qualify for long-term cleanup under the Superfund program.
Six contaminants have been identified at the site: trichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, and trans-1,2-dichloroethene. Trichloroethene is present in both soil and groundwater. The other four contaminants are found in groundwater only. TCE in the soil continues to migrate into groundwater, where levels exceed drinking water standards.
A cleanup remedy was selected in March 1991 and construction was finished by March 1994. The remedy included an on-site soil washing system, extraction wells, and a groundwater monitoring network. The system operated until September 2015, and one extraction well was converted back to municipal use in May 2013. Liberty installed new public water supply wells after the contamination was discovered, and residents receive drinking water from that public supply rather than from contaminated groundwater. Monthly sampling of groundwater and public water supply wells continues to monitor site contaminants.
EPA's most recent Five-Year Review, completed in July 2024, found that the current remedy protects human health and the environment. Engineering controls prevent site access, and drinking water supply wells remain below maximum contaminant levels for site contaminants. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration has stabilized. However, the review determined that a new remedy must be developed through a focused feasibility study. A removal activity under Operable Unit 01 is planned to run from December 2026 through February 2028. The site has not been deleted from the NPL and has not achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status.
Community members can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager with questions or concerns. For state-related questions, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
