Compass Plaza Well TCE is a Superfund site in Rogersville, Missouri, added to the National Priorities List in March 2012. It sits beneath a retail strip mall, where trichloroethylene (TCE) leaked from an unidentified source into the groundwater. That groundwater feeds private and public drinking water wells across the area.
TCE poses health risks through ingestion of contaminated water and inhalation of vapors when contaminated water is used inside a home. Testing of 350 local wells found TCE in 13 of them. Five of those wells exceeded the EPA's safe drinking level of 5 parts per billion. The contamination extends into both the Springfield and Ozark aquifers, two interconnected water sources that supply most regional wells.
The EPA took early steps to protect residents. In August 2010, treatment systems were installed at five contaminated homes. In December 2010, a heavily contaminated well was plugged and replaced with a new drinking water well. Removal actions continued in two phases, running from August 2010 through August 2016 and again from March 2017 through August 2019. Since 2014, sixteen groundwater monitoring wells have been installed to track how far contamination has spread. The EPA has worked alongside the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Greene County Resource Management, and other partners throughout this process.
The site is organized into two operable units: a sitewide area and a groundwater area. A remedial investigation was completed in January 2020, and an Administrative Order of Consent was finalized in September 2019, identifying a responsible party. That responsible party is now working with the EPA to complete a Feasibility Study, which evaluates cleanup options for the groundwater area. That study is estimated to finish between July and September 2028. After the study wraps up, the EPA will publish proposed cleanup options for public comment before making a final decision, called a Record of Decision. Physical cleanup construction has not started, and human exposure is currently under control according to EPA assessments. However, the EPA has not yet determined whether contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-related questions, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
