OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



# N ATIONAL 

# P RIORITIES 

# L IST 

# (NPL)

***Proposed Site *** September 2012 

### 700 SOUTH 1600 EAST PCE PLUME Salt Lake City
, Utah
Salt Lake County

 Site Location: The site is located in a residential area near the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah

.

 Site History: Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination was first found in 1990 at the nearby Mount Olivet Cemetery during routine monitoring by Salt Lake City. This led to the EPA’s involvement at the 700 South 1600 East PCE Plume site. The site received a score of 50.0 using the Hazard Ranking System in 2005 based on contamination of a municipal drinking water well (SLC

- 18). Listing efforts for this site were suspended in 2008 because the city wanted to pursue other options to address the problem. These other options did not come to fruit i on. In June 2010, the city reported elevated levels of PCE in residential springs down gradient of the site. Reported concentrations ranged from 2.5 μ g/L to 40.4 μ g/L. The only identified source of the contamination is a historic dry

- cleaning facility owned and operated by a Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA). Additional parties potentially responsible for ground water contamination have not been identified.

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: The area of PCE contamination covers over 200 acres based on sampling. However, the full extent of the ground water plume is not currently known

.

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: Contaminated ground water is the primary concern at this site. In 1998, PCE levels in a ground water monit oring well at the
site reached 320 μ g/L, which is well above the federal Safe Drinking Water Act maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5.0μ g/L. By 2004, PCE was detected in municipal well SLC

- 18 at a concentration above health based benchmarks but
below the MC L. In 2010, levels of PCE found in residential springs reached 40.4 μ g/L. With the high concentrations of PCE found nearby, additional public and private water resources are at risk of being contaminated. Concentrations in shallow ground water also indicate a potential for vapor intrusion (indoor inhalation exposures).

 Response Activities (to date): There have been no response activities

.

 Need for NPL Listing: In 2004, municipal well SLC

- 18 was determined to have a PCE concentration above the health based concentration but below the MCL. As a precautionary measure, Salt Lake City took this well off

- line in 2005, and it has remained off

- line
since. Vapor intrusion is also a possibility for the community overlying the contamination. A long

- term solution for addressing contamination is necessary because left uncontrolled, the plume could continue to migrate putting additional public water supplies and residents at risk. Listing will enable the EPA to work with the VA to address the contamination.

The EPA has notified the VA of their responsibilities under CERCLA Section 120, 42 U.S.C. §9620. The EPA also received letters of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state of Utah and Salt Lake City.

[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 contami nation.]

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.