EPA Achieves Accelerated Soil Cleanup Goals at PCE Southeast Contamination Superfund Site in York, Nebraska

EPA Achieves Accelerated Soil Cleanup Goals at PCE Southeast Contamination Superfund Site in York, Nebraska

November 12, 2026

LENEXA, KAN. (NOV. 12, 2026) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has achieved its soil cleanup goals in Operable Unit 01 at the PCE Southeast Contamination Superfund site in York, Nebraska. EPA was able to accelerate cleanup using innovative technology as part of the agency's Superfund Solutions initiative, reducing cleanup time by more than a decade.

To accelerate operations, the PCE Southeast Contamination Superfund site cleanup remedy used in-situ thermal remediation. This cleanup remedy heated the contaminated soil and turned the contamination into vapor before treatment. This treatment method replaced the more expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive cleanup remedy of removing the contaminated soil.

Laboratory analysis of soils at Operable Unit 01 confirmed the soil cleanup goals for tetrachloroethene (PCE), as outlined in the site's Record of Decision, have been achieved at all sampling locations and depths. EPA estimates that it took only two years to meet the cleanup goals at the source areas using in-situ thermal remediation compared to an estimate of over 15 years with a more disruptive cleanup remedy.

"I'm excited to announce that EPA Region 7 has achieved the soil cleanup goals at the PCE Southeast Contamination site in York," said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy. "This is a tremendous accomplishment. Using the thermal remediation system to accelerate cleanup while minimizing impacts on the community demonstrates EPA's commitment to restoring contaminated sites and returning them to Heartland communities through gold-standard science."

Operable Unit 01, also known as the Seventh Street source area, will now transition to restoration activities, including removing components of the in-situ thermal remediation system, work trailers, and the removal of the old concrete pad from the property.

In 2025, cleanup goals were met at the Fifth Street source area (Operable Unit 02) with restoration activities taking place over the summer of 2025.

Remediation efforts at the site will now shift to cleaning up the contaminated groundwater plume (Operable Unit 03), as EPA has achieved its cleanup goals in both source areas.

Background

On June 3, 2026, EPA announced the agency's new forward-looking Superfund Solutions initiative to accelerate cleanups of more than 1,340 Superfund sites on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Through this long-term initiative, EPA will roll out key, gold-standard of science investments to cut red tape, make swift clean up decisions, modernize tools, and increase cooperative federalism to deliver maximum human health and environmental protections.

Learn more about the Superfund cleanup process.

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