You’ll learn a lot of acronyms in the environmental business, but none more important than TCE – Trichloroethylene.

TCE is a very effective solvent that has been used for decades, long before our current environmental regulatory programs, to remove grease from metal parts. And as every environmental professional knows, it’s a very bad actor with respect to the environment.

TCE Contamination Misunderstood at FUDS

TCE was also used as a degreaser in military operations. This means where you find Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), you stand a chance of finding TCE in groundwater.

This is exactly the case in Salina, Kansas, where there is wide-spread TCE contamination at the former Schilling Air Force Base (a FUD Site). And because the TCE-impacted groundwater was headed toward the public drinking water supply, it has received a lot of attention.

Protection of the community drinking water

While all of the projects in which we are involved are important, when we are talking about protecting an entire community’s (Salina, KS) drinking water supply, it is a project of significant magnitude.

We are excited and proud to be involved in this project in Salina, Kansas (our involvement dates back to 2005, but the field work portion recently began). It’s a tremendous undertaking, and we believe it will showcase our strengths in critical analysis and using multiple lines of evidence to find real and workable solutions.

While we just started with our “feet on the ground” to collect initial groundwater and vapor samples, as this recent coverage on KAKE News in Kansas demonstrates, it’s a very important initial step to collect much needed data.  Please click here to view the news coverage.

If you have questions about this project or about TCE, please contact Jeffrey Bolin, M.S., CHMM (jbolin@dragun.com) at 248-932-0228, ext 125.