OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** September 2012 

PIKE AND MULBERRY STREETS Martinsville, Indiana 

PCE PLUME Morgan County 

 Site Location: 

The Pike and Mulberry Streets PCE Plume is located in Martinsville, Indiana. 

 Site History: 

The Pike and Mulberry Streets PCE Plume was discovered from investigations conducted at the nearby Master Wear 

facility, a former drycleaner that released chlorinated solvents to the soil and ground water during its operations from 

1986 to 1991. Potentially responsible parties for the Master Wear facility have conducted a removal action at the site 

with the EPA’s oversight. The level of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in the city’s drinking water supply has continued to 

increase. The Master Wear facility is a possible contributor to the plume and there appear to be other possible sources 

of PCE contamination in the Martinsville area that may be contributing to the plume contamination. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

The ground water plume consists of the chlorinated solvents PCE, trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene 

(cis-1,2-DCE). 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

The ground water plume has contaminated one of the Martinsville municipal drinking water wells. This well, serving 

about 5,000 people, was found to contain elevated levels of PCE above the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum 

Contaminant Level (MCL). The water from the municipal wells is currently the sole source of drinking water for the 

residents of Martinsville. While Martinsville operates an activated carbon filtration system to remove PCE from its 

water, as PCE remains in one of Martinsville’s municipal wells and in several monitoring wells, the potential risk to 

the community remains high. 

 Response Activities (to date): 

A potentially responsible party (PRP) removal action, conducted under the EPA’s oversight, was initiated in August 

2004 and completed in December 2008 at the Master Wear facility to address contaminated soil. Although the 

Superfund removal action objectives were met, PCE levels exceed the MCL and are increasing in ground water. Due 

to the presence of PCE in the wellfield, the city of Martinsville installed an activated carbon filtration system in June 

2005 to remove PCE from its drinking water. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

The risk to community remains high due to rising levels of PCE in one of the Martinsville municipal wells and in 

several monitoring wells. NPL listing would allow for investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination of 

the possible sources, and enable the EPA to determine cleanup alternatives for the contaminated areas, protecting 

human health and the environment. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this 

time. The EPA received a letter of support for placing the site on the NPL from the state of Indiana. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may 

change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.] 

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to 

these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on 

the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.