PCE Southeast Contamination

Overview

The PCE Southeast Contamination site sits in York, Nebraska and was added to the National Priorities List in May 2014. It is an active Superfund site where physical cleanup construction is still underway. Multiple former dry-cleaning businesses left behind chlorinated solvents that spread through soil and groundwater in the area.

The contaminants found at the site include tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), vinyl chloride, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and carbon tetrachloride. These chemicals were detected in private drinking water wells above safe limits, in soil at two source areas on 5th Street and 7th Street, and in soil gas near the 7th Street area. People can be exposed through drinking water, breathing in vapors indoors, or skin contact.

The EPA has organized cleanup into separate operable units. At the 5th Street source area, In Situ Thermal Remediation (ISTR), which heats contaminated soil to turn pollutants into vapor that is then captured and treated, was completed by May 2025 and removed all detected soil contamination. That same equipment was moved to the 7th Street source area, where full ISTR operation began in fall 2025 and soil cleanup is expected to finish by summer 2026. For the sitewide groundwater, a pump and treat system is planned as the next phase once source area soil cleanup wraps up, with remedial design estimated to begin between June and August 2027. To protect residents in the meantime, 15 homes were connected to the public water supply and 28 vapor mitigation systems were installed at homes and businesses. One additional system was installed at a downtown business near 7th Street and North Lincoln Avenue after vapor intrusion was detected there between spring 2024 and summer 2025. Current assessments show human exposure is under control, though groundwater migration has not yet been stabilized and the site has not completed construction.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a public health assessment in August 2025 to evaluate community exposures at the site. No public meetings or comment periods are currently planned, but residents can join the site mailing list to receive updates. Community groups can apply for EPA Technical Assistance Grants of up to $50,000 to hire independent technical advisors, and free assistance is also available through the EPA's Technical Assistance Services for Communities program. The EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager are available to answer questions directly.