KDHE unveils plan to clean up contaminated groundwater near 29th and Grove

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — For more than 30 years, Kansas, along with the city of Wichita, has been trying to figure out a way to remediate contaminated groundwater near 29th and Grove.

Trichloroethylene, a cancerous chemical, contaminated the groundwater near the Union Pacific Railyard back in the 1970s. It wasn’t discovered until 1994.

Recently, the state approved engineering designs to put in groundwater cleanup systems around the area. The plan would use a pump to remove and treat the water.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment hosted an open house on Saturday to explain the solution to community members.

Related Story: Decades after railroad spill near 29th and Grove, cleanup effort moves forward

Matt Graham with Union Pacific explained the process in simple terms.

“So basically, what we’ll be doing is extracting contaminated groundwater, cleaning that groundwater and then, once clean, we’ll reinject that water back down into the formation, which will scour the subsurface,” Graham said.

Those in attendance at the open house say that knowing the plan is important.

“This affects our community, and we want to make sure our community is informed and empowered,” said Lai-L Daugherty with the Wichita Medical Research and Education Foundation. “So therefore, the only way we can make sure that happens is by coming to these kinds of meetings, gathering that kind of information and going back and giving it to the community.”

Daugherty said she grew up in the area, along with much of her family. She’s encouraging people to get tested for exposure to TCE.

“It makes me concerned, but it also makes me feel empowered that we’re doing the work that we need to do to make sure that we are safe, that we are healthy and that we know what happened in our community, and that we can take charge of our health by going and getting tested,” Daugherty said.

Currently, KDHE is taking bids from contractors to build the groundwater pumps.

Those with Union Pacific said that they hope to start construction on the pumps in 2027.

You can schedule a free test to see if you were exposed to TCE by going to this website.