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Fact Sheet
&EPA
Euclid Road Groundwater Site, Reardan, Washington
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
February 2006
Update on EPA activities in the Euclid Road area
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been testing well water in the area around Euclid Road
in Reardan to find out if those wells have been affected by a chemical called trichloroethylene or TCE.
EPA found TCE in a few of the wells and has taken action to keep this chemical out of drinking water.
This fact sheet provides a summary of recent developments.
Routine testing of a well near the former Fairchild
Nike Battery 87, in October 2004, showed high
levels of TCE in the water. Knowing that homes in
the area rely on wells for drinking water, EPA
tested other drinking water and monitoring wells.
When unacceptable levels of TCE were found in
the drinking water of three homes, EPA installed
water-treatment systems to remove the chemical
from the water. The search for the source of the
TCE continues, as does testing of drinking water
wells and monitoring wells. Please see page 2 for a
more detailed summary of activities.
What is TCE and how might it affect me?
TCE is a solvent commonly used to remove grease
from machinery and motor vehicle engine parts. It
also is an ingredient in many products, such as
paint removers and adhesives. It is a colorless
liquid with a sweet smell and taste. Drinking water
with small amounts of TCE for long periods may
cause liver and kidney damage, impaired immune
system function, and impaired fetal development in
pregnant women. The extent of some of these effects
is not yet clear. The International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IRAC) has determined that
TCE is a probable human carcinogen.
How much TCE was found and what is EPA
doing about it?
Testing showed that three homes in the Euclid
Road area had TCE levels well above EPA's drinking
water standard of 5 parts per billion of water. EPA
installed water filtration systems at the properties
where elevated levels of TCE were found. The
filtered water is safe for all purposes including
drinking. If you have questions about TCE and
your health, please contact your doctor or Mike
LaScuola, Spokane Regional Health District. The
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
website has background information on this chemical.
(See page 3 for both.)
Where did the TCE come from?
Soil and well water contaminated with TCE often
are found around industrial and military sites. It is
found in rural areas occasionally because it was
commonly used for cleaning machinery. The TCE
found in the Euclid Road area could be the result
of a spill some time in the past, but we do not
know where, when, or how much of the chemical
was spilled or dumped. Information obtained from
monitoring wells installed in November 2005
suggest that the source area is northwest of the
three affected water-supply wells.
What will happen next?
Finding the responsible parties
EPA is searching for the party responsible for the
TCE contamination. Normally, the responsible
party would pay for testing and cleanup of
contamination, including the cost of providing
clean drinking water.
continued on page 2
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Euclid Road Groundwater Site
February 2006
What will happen next? continued
Testing of drinking water and monitoring wells
EPA will test monitoring wells every three months
through August 2006. All of the drinking water
wells affected by TCE will be tested every month
through August. Another nearby well, which has
not been affected by TCE, also will be tested
regularly to make sure that TCE has not reached it.
Testing will continue after August, and EPA is
working with other agencies to determine which
one is best suited to take over this activity after
August. Monitoring should continue until the
TCE is no longer found in the wells.
Maintenance of water-treatment systems
Water-treatment systems were installed by EPA in
three homes whose drinking water wells contained
elevated levels of TCE. EPA will continue to check
those systems and replace their filters, if necessary,
through August 2006. Home owners may need to
start paying for the costs of operating their treat-
ment systems in September 2006, unless EPA is
able to find the party responsible for the contami-
nation to take over the costs.
Reporting to residents
Two reports on sampling results are being sent in
February 2006 to each homeowner whose well was
sampled. These reports also will be available on
request to anyone wanting a copy. The reports
provide a summary of 2005 test results from
drinking water and monitoring wells in the Euclid
Road area. The results of 2006 tests will be
reported directly to residents and also will be
available on the EPA website (see page 3).
Another update will be sent out in June 2006.
More About EPA Water Testing and Treatment Activities — 2004 to 2006
2004
EPA periodically tests water around formerly used
military sites to make sure there is no contamination.
In addition to testing two monitoring wells around
the former Fairchild Nike '87 site in October 2004,
EPA also tested a third well over a mile away from
the old Nike site. The third well, called the
"Euclid" well, is used for drinking water. This well
was supposed to provide EPA with an idea of what
"normal" water would look like so we could
compare it to the wells near the old military site.
2005
Test results from the Euclid well were received
in January 2005. The tests showed that the water
contained TCE. The owner of the well was told
immediately that there was a possible problem
with the well.
EPA retested the Euclid well to see if there had
been a mistake in the original test. Other wells in
the area also were tested. The second set of tests
confirmed that the Euclid well had more TCE than
allowed by federal drinking water standards. The
other two wells tested had either very low or no
TCE, which seemed to indicate that the problem
was not widespread. The well owners were
notified of the results.
EPA started a thorough investigation in the area.
This investigation, called a Preliminary Assessment/
Site Inspection (PA/SI) identified wells that
should be tested to determine if the TCE in the
groundwater had reached other wells.
Eleven wells in the Euclid Road area were tested in
June. TCE was found in four of them. Of those
four wells, three had levels within acceptable
drinking water limits. One drinking water well
had high levels of TCE.
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Euclid Road Groundwater Site
February 2006
More About EPA Water Testing and Treatment continued
EPA received the results of the June tests on
August 22. That same day, EPA contacted the
homeowner and told Spokane County Department
of Health and the Washington Department of
Ecology. The next day, EPA's Emergency Response
program took over the site because of the potential
threat to people's health.
Water-treatment systems were installed in October
at the three homes with high TCE levels. Two of
these systems are operating and providing safe
drinking water to those homes. No one is living in
the third house.
EPA installed test wells in November to better
define the extent of the TCE plume and direction
of groundwater flow. Based upon information from
these monitoring wells, the TCE source appears to
be northwest of the affected water supply wells.
2006
Monthly testing of the installed water-treatment
systems and any necessary maintenance will be
provided by EPA through August 2006. EPA also
will test the monitoring wells quarterly through
August. The agency best suited will take the lead
for these actions after August. If test results show
that the TCE is moving, more frequent testing may
be necessary.
Final reports on 2005 test results will be available
in February. These reports serve as a summary of
testing and will not contain new information.
Contact us for more information
Please contact Renee Dagseth if you have
questions about this site or if you have information
about the possible source of the TCE.
Renee Dagseth, Community Involvement Coordinator
800-424-4372 or 206-553-1889
dagseth.renee@epa.gov
If you have questions about whether your well has
been tested or needs to be tested, contact:
Calvin Terada, On-Scene Coordinator
206-553-4141, terada.calvin@epa.gov
For questions about TCE and your health, please
contact:
Mike LaScuola, Spokane Regional Health District,
509-324-1574, mlascuola@spokanecountv.org
For information on TCE, visit:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts19.html
Please visit EPA's website: http://www.epa.gov/
r1 Dearth
Click on Index A-Z, then on E, and on Euclid Road
Groundwater Site.
Future Information
To receive future fact sheets via e-mail, please send your e-mail address to dagseth.renee@epa.gov .
Alternative formats are available. For reasonable accommodation, please call
Renee Dagseth. TTY users, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
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U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Sixth Avenue, ETPA-081
Seattle, Washington 98101-1128
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Euclid Road Groundwater Site
Reardan, Washington
February 2006
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