Sandies Dry Cleaner and Laundry Site

Site Information

Little Chute, WI (Outagamie County)
EPA ID# WIN000510596
Site Narrative
Map
Photos

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Susan Pastor (pastor.susan@epa.gov)
312-353-1325 or 800-621-8431, ext. 31325

On Scene Coordinator
Ramon Mendoza
(mendoza.ramon@epa.gov)
312-886-4314 or 800-621-8431, ext. 64314
cell 312-802-1409

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Jennifer Borski, Hydrogeologist (jennifer.borski@wisconsin.gov) 920-424-7887

Supervisor, Hazard and Exposure Assessment Unit, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Henry Nehls-Lowe
(henry.nehls-lowe@wisconsin.gov) 608-266-3479

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Gerard H. Van Hoof Library
625 Grand Ave.
Little Chute, WI

Links

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund Frequent Questions

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

OSC's Home Page

Background

Sandies Dry Cleaner and Laundry, 513 Grand Ave., Little Chute, Wisconsin, operated from 1957 to about 2003 and has been vacant since 2006. The facility contains old dry cleaner and laundry machines and other related equipment. The current owner allegedly used tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, a chemical commonly used in the dry cleaning industry. PCE is a concern because it evaporates easily in the air. In addition, soil contaminated with PCE has been found adjacent to the dry cleaning machine at the site and has also been detected in the indoor air next door. Historic dumping of PCE has resulted in significant soil contamination. The PCE moved through the soil into the ground water and traveled off site resulting in vapor intrusion at neighboring properties.

Site Updates | Fact Sheets | Technical Documents | Photos

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Site Updates

April 2012

Cleanup at Sandies Dry Cleaner and Laundry is ongoing. During the week of April 16, EPA installed a basement vapor control system in the south wall shared by Sandies and the bakery next door and in the bakery’s basement.   These actions should eliminate low levels of vapors from moving into the bakery building and its attached apartment. In addition, EPA will replace holes made on the concrete floor on the main level to enclose the new crawlspace.

EPA will evaluate air sampling results taken from nearby homes and businesses in this spring. Depending on what the results show, EPA will work with the home and business owners, as well as state and county agencies, on installing more vapor control systems, if necessary.

Air and ground water samples help us check for tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, 1, 1-dichloroethane, and vinyl chloride because these chemicals are often found together. They are also related to the PERC that was used at Sandies. The results help us determine what needs to be cleaned up.

Since September 2011, the EPA:

Completed excavation of contaminated soil in the former dry cleaner room and area in back (west side) of the site
Pumped contaminated water out of the basement into the municipal sanitary sewer
Monitored air quality conditions on-site, as well as along the perimeter and downwind, to protect workers and residents
Installed a subslab (basement) vapor extraction system in the former dry cleaner room to keep vapors from moving into neighboring buildings
Turned the basement into a crawlspace by filling it with gravel and installed a vapor extraction system to keep vapors from moving into neighboring buildings.
Eliminated the danger of someone falling into the basement with conversion to crawlspace
Conducted two rounds of ground water and indoor air sampling
Monitored the outdoor air
Continued coordination with state and local agencies

The cleanup was warranted because EPA found unsafe levels of PERC vapors at Sandies, as well as in neighboring basements and an apartment. We expect to complete our cleanup by August. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will be the lead agency concerning any actions necessary to address the contaminated ground wate

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