In the 1990s, groundwater contamination was discovered during the redevelopment of the 21st Street corridor from I-135 to Grove Street. While its connection to the railyard was established only after further investigation, the exact cause and date of the spill remain unknown. Since discovering the contamination, Union Pacific has taken numerous actions, including testing thousands of soil and groundwater samples and implementing cleanup measures in the affected area.

The details of how the trichloroethylene (TCE) spill happened are not clear. TCE is a solvent that has been widely used for many years in industry and manufacturing for metal cleaning and can be found in common household cleaners.

Yes. The drinking water for all homes, businesses, and schools in the area comes from the City of Wichita, not from local or contaminated groundwater. This public water is piped in, regularly tested, and is safe for drinking, cooking, bathing, watering plants, swimming, and other uses. The city does not use local groundwater for public water supply and prohibits the construction of new water wells in contaminated areas.

Yes, you can use your private well to water your lawn and garden. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry investigates the health effects of exposure to hazardous substances. Their thorough research indicates that trichloroethylene (TCE) does not build up in plants. It evaporates rapidly from water into the air, so vegetables watered with well water that contains TCE should be safe to eat.

To understand how many private wells are in the 29th and Grove neighborhood and how they are used, we began conducting a private well survey in March 2024. If you have a private well on your property and have not yet responded to the survey, please reach out to us at 866-896-7511 or 29grove@up.com.

Yes, there have been many studies and clean-up actions to address the contamination. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Union Pacific made agreements in 1999 and 2002 to investigate the spill and start the cleanup process. Since then, Union Pacific and its contractors have tested over 7,000 environmental samples and have implemented several clean-up measures to remove pollutants from the soil and groundwater.

Union Pacific is responsible for the environmental studies and cleanup actions in the project area, with oversight by KDHE. Union Pacific and KDHE work closely with the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County, as well as other local stakeholders.

KDHE approved a final cleanup plan in 2023. The plan includes ongoing actions to continue to clean the groundwater and soil, continuous monitoring and KDHE reviews to verify the effectiveness of the work.

Given the size of the project area and the regulatory process, it took several years to complete a detailed study and to define the extent of impacts and how best to address them. KDHE follows a multi-step process to make sure an environmental cleanup is effective in safeguarding the community and the environment.

While working through the regulatory process, Union Pacific and KDHE proactively took early actions to remove the source materials, control the spread of contaminants in groundwater, and began to remove and treat affected groundwater. With the final cleanup plan in place, Union Pacific remains committed to implementing necessary measures to protect the community and the environment. Our goal is to provide lasting solutions.

We monitor the contaminated area using a network of wells specifically placed to track its size and movement. These monitoring wells provide regular data on groundwater conditions. Additionally, we have a downgradient pump-and-treat system in place. This system helps to contain and treat the contaminated groundwater, preventing the plume from spreading further.