EPA to Clean Up Contaminated Site in Unity

Thursday, March 24th, 2022 -- 8:14 AM

(Heather Poltrock, WSAW) The site of a former gas station in Unity has been identified as one of the most contaminated sites in the county and will be prioritized for clean-up by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Unity Auto Mart site consists of chlorinated solvent contamination in groundwater originating from the Unity Auto Mart, a former gas station/convenience store, coin-operated laundromat, and dry cleaner. The EPA lists the address as 102 North Front St.

Unity Auto Mart first started as a gasoline station in the early 1960s. A dry-cleaning business was added later and operated between 1979 to 1984. The gas station closed in 2012. The property is now vacant.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980. CERCLA is informally called Superfund. It allows EPA to clean up contaminated sites.

It also forces the parties responsible for the contamination to either perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanup work. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources first identified chlorinated solvents at the property in 1999.

By 2014, the DNR requested the EPA’s assistance when numerous potable private wells in the village of Unity were discovered to be contaminated with tetrachloroethene and its breakdown products. The contamination plume is currently estimated to span approximately 25 acres.

Most residents within a 4-mile radius of the Unity Auto Mart facility rely on private groundwater wells for drinking. WDNR provided carbon filters or alternate water supplies to residents whose drinking water wells contained PCE and TCE exceeding standards.

EPA has assisted WDNR with monitoring and delineating the extent of contamination. The state of Wisconsin referred the site to the EPA because substantial investigations and long-term cleanup are required.

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