Source: http://www.kake.com, December 29, 2014
Nearly 200 Wichita homes affected by groundwater contamination have been connected to city water.
KAKE News first alerted residents about the issue in April when the Kansas Department of Health and Environment began investigating groundwater contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a volatile organic chemical commonly used in dry cleaning. The KDHE later identified two sources of the PCE in an area south and southeast of Best Cleaners and the former Four Seasons Dry Cleaners near Central and Tyler in west Wichita.
Numerous area homes in the area had private drinking water wells, and the KDHE conducted testing for elevated levels of PCE in those wells. Homes with contamination leaves above the EPA accepted safety standard were provided with bottled drinking water and a carbon filtration system until they could be connected to City of Wichita water.
As of the end of December, the KDHE in partnership with the City of Wichita have successfully connected 197 residences to city water.
The KDHE spent approximately $2.5 million for the connections. The money came from the Dry Cleaning Trust Fund, which is funded by a solvent fee paid by dry cleaners when buying PCE and by a 2.5 percent environmental surcharge on each dry cleaning bill in Kansas.