Today, the PCE Carriage Cleaners Site in Bellevue, Nebraska, has been added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), following its listing in the Federal Register for a 60-day public comment period.

Historic dry-cleaning operations at the site, now a vacant lot, released tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its breakdown products and trichloroethene (TCE) into the soil and groundwater. Both PCE and TCE are exceeding the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in sub-slab soil gas and indoor air in residential and commercial properties.

Long-term remedial action is needed to permanently clean up the contaminated soil and groundwater at the site that is causing the vapor intrusion.

The placement of the PCE Carriage Cleaners Site on the NPL makes it eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

Background

The NPL includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24% within 3 miles of sites after cleanup.

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has followed through on updating the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once a year. However, EPA has the discretion to update the list more frequently to address unique circumstances for sites needing cleanup. Today’s announcement marks the third time in 2022 that EPA has updated the NPL.

• Learn more about the Superfund program.
• For more information, please visit the New Proposed NPL Sites and New NPL Sites page.
• Learn more about the PCE Carriage Cleaners Site in Bellevue, Nebraska.