Woods Cross, Bountiful sites may join the Superfund list

A plume of contaminated groundwater in Woods Cross and Bountiful may be added to a national priority list of Superfund sites, opening the door for a possible federal cleanup.

The plume was caused by a chemical known as tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The chemical is located primarily under the city of Woods Cross, and contamination of the groundwater forced the closure of two of the city's four wells in 1999. The EPA Web site says the plume is located near the Five Points Mall and extends to the west-northwest.

The contamination, first found in trace amounts in the late 1990s, was monitored prior to closure of the wells, according to Woods Cross officials.

Gwen Christiansen, national priority list coordinator for the EPA in Denver, said Thursday that the agency would do several studies to determine the size and source of the plume and how best to clean up the contamination, if it is added to the Superfund list. The study could take two years because the exact size, scope and the spread of the plume is unknown, Christiansen said.

"Characterization of environmental contamination just never goes on a time line," Christiansen said.

The chemical contaminating groundwater in Woods Cross is used mainly as a dry-cleaning agent and metal degreaser, according to the EPA. It can impact the liver and kidneys after long and short-term inhalation exposure. The EPA said studies have shown PCE can also cause liver cancer.

Preliminary studies of the plume show four possible sources located near the Five Points Mall in Bountiful. One of the sources is a former gas station and automotive garage. Three dry-cleaning companies, The Klean Machine, The Golden Hangar Dry Cleaners and Your Valet Cleaners, may also be sources. Your Valet Cleaners is the only one of the cleaning businesses that is still operating.

This summer, the EPA plans to work with Your Valet Cleaners to remove a storage tank that used to contain PCE, Christiansen said.

The store's owner, James Patterson, said Thursday his company no longer uses PCE in its cleaning process. The company used the chemical in the 1960s but switched in the late 1990s to a silicone-based solvent called Green Earth, which is considered environmentally friendly.

The switch happened before the EPA became aware of the plume in 1999, Patterson said.

"We know that we're a person that used that chemical years ago, and the practices used in the '60s said it was totally acceptable," he said.