McGaffey & Main Ground Water Plume
Roswell, N.M.	
Site Description
The McGaffey & Main Ground Water Plume Superfund site is located in Roswell, Chaves County,
N.M. The 550-acre site lies within a commercial and residential area. Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a
chlorinated volatile organic chemical (VOC) commonly used in the dry cleaning industry was
detected in 1994 during a State investigation. Subsequent investigations indicate that one or more of
the dry cleaning facilities formerly operating in the vicinity of the 1100 block of South Main Street are
the most likely source of an approximately two-mile long PCE-contaminated groundwater plume.
Current Site Status and Cleanup Actions to Date
•	In 2012, EPA completed construction of the vapor intrusion mitigation system (VIMS), soil vapor
extraction system (SVE), and central treatment facility as part of the remedy. The VIMS and
central treatment facility began operation in November 2012 and the SVE system in January
2013.
•	Remedial accomplishments year to date:
o Attainment of indoor air cleanup levels within the first 30 days of VIMS startup.
o Maintenance of a negative pressure field beneath the slabs of all six VIMS equipped
buildings. Operation of the VIMS and SVE systems has significantly reduced the sub-slab
concentrations of VOCs and the potential for vapor intrusion into these buildings.
o Reduction of average PCE concentrations in soil vapor from 2.3 million micrograms per
cubic meter (ng/m3) to 26,900 ng/m3 following 6 months of operations.
• EPA has determined that all unacceptable human exposure pathways have been eliminated,
and therefore, under current conditions, human exposure is under control site wide.
Unfunded Action
Fiscal Year 2013 work that was not funded involved the implementation of enhanced treatment of a
highly concentrated portion of the contaminated groundwater plume.
Current Funding Status
To date, EPA has spent approximately $5.1 million for construction work at the site.
For more information on this site, please read the McGaffey & Main Ground Water Plume site
information on the Region 6 Superfund web site.

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