Bruno Co-op Association/Associated Properties

Overview

The Bruno Co-op Association/Associated Properties site sits in Bruno, Nebraska, where grain fumigants were improperly applied at a U.S. Department of Agriculture storage facility. The chemicals seeped into the local aquifer and contaminated the town's only drinking water source. The EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1996 and approved a cleanup plan in 1998.

The contaminants of concern are carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and 1,2-dichloroethane, all found in groundwater. Carbon tetrachloride and chloroform are also present in soil. These are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) linked to health risks through drinking contaminated water, breathing vapors from groundwater, and inhaling soil gas. Vapor intrusion testing showed very little risk from soil gas exposure.

The main cleanup action was a pump-and-treat system that ran from 2004 to 2019, using two to three extraction wells producing an average of 95 gallons per minute. Treated water was discharged to a nearby creek tributary. The system was shut down in 2019 to test whether natural processes could finish the cleanup, but recent data suggests that approach may not be sufficient. EPA is now working with responsible parties to develop alternative strategies. A new remedial investigation is estimated to begin in late 2026, followed by a feasibility study in mid-2028. Groundwater monitoring continues twice a year through 25 monitoring wells. Since 2006, residents have received drinking water from the David City public water supply via pipeline, and institutional controls prohibit new private wells in the contaminated area. Human exposure is currently considered controlled, and the site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in March 2017. An active farmers cooperative operates grain storage on the site today.

The most recent five-year review was completed in June 2025. It confirmed that all exposure pathways posing unacceptable risk are currently controlled, though EPA still needs to determine whether the groundwater remedy will meet the long-term goals set in the 1998 cleanup plan. The site has not been deleted from the NPL.

Community members can join the site mailing list to receive updates. Two assistance programs are available. Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) provides free help from scientists and engineers who can explain environmental information. Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs) offer up to $50,000 to qualified community groups to hire their own technical advisor. Questions can be directed to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator Shaylee Borcsani or Remedial Project Manager James Curry, or to the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment.