Sedgwick County commissioner outlines long-term testing plan after TCE contamination near 20 Ninth and Grove

Commissioner Ryan Beatty, Sedgwick County commissioner for District 4, provided a District 4 update describing ongoing remediation and planned health-testing work for residents near 20 Ninth and Grove in Wichita, where officials have identified a trichloroethylene contamination plume.

Beatty said the contamination was discovered during City of Wichita road work in 1994 and that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) traced the source by 1998 to a property now owned by Union Pacific Railroad just south of K-96 near 20 Ninth and Grove. "From their research it was best determined that at some point in the late 70s or early 80s either a large single spill or a series of spills of a chemical solvent commonly used for degreasing had seeped into the soil and then further into the ground water," he said.

The chemical identified in the plume, trichloroethylene (TCE), is a volatile solvent that Beatty described as "toxic to the kidneys, liver and central nervous system and is also a known carcinogen." He said KDHE entered into remediation agreements and conducted a health study that showed elevated health concerns in the impacted area, "including disproportionate numbers of liver cancers and low infant birth weights." Those study results, Beatty said, prompted community concern when advocates drew public attention to the site in late summer 2022.

Beatty summarized recent and planned responses: federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) committed in 2023 to assist with screenings and testing; the Kansas Health Foundation provided a gift of more than $400,000 to support testing; and the state legislature has made available up to $3,500,000 for health testing tied to the 20 Ninth and Grove site, with part of that funding contingent on a local match being organized. "This is a real opportunity, and the state has come to the table in a big way," Beatty said.

He also described shortcomings from earlier efforts. A Kansas Health Foundation debrief, Beatty said, found that of the more than $400,000 provided for testing, "less than $35,000 was actually utilized for testing." He attributed that gap to clinic capacity, saying, "The clinics simply were not equipped with the necessary equipment, resources, and the systems to do the tasks that we were asking them to do for us."

To address that shortfall, Beatty said county and partner organizations have spent the last six months developing "a systemic plan that we expect will have a generational impact." He described the plan as focused on strengthening clinic networks and capacity so testing can be sustained over time. "With this strategic plan, funding and resources will be deployed in a way that strengthens the network and strengthens the capacity to provide testing for individuals impacted at 20 Ninth And Grove not just for 1 time testing but for a lifetime of testing which we have been advised by medical experts will be needed for the impacted people in this contamination plume," Beatty said.

The update stressed limits of local knowledge and prior communication failures: "Local government and our citizens were not made aware that for nearly 40 years the people living around 20 Ninth And Grove had poison in the water and the soil beneath their feet," Beatty said, calling that breakdown "a failure in the systems that are meant to serve people." He said county staff are coordinating with state officials, the City of Wichita, local organizations and community advocates and that discussions will continue.

The update did not record any formal county action or vote in the transcript. The presentation was informational: Beatty outlined the history, summarized the KDHE remediation and health-study findings, listed prior and potential funding sources, and described a county-led plan to expand clinic capacity and long-term testing for affected residents. He said he will continue to provide updates to District 4 residents.