A Forensic Methodology for Investigating PCE Releases from a Dry Cleaning Facility

In 2001 it was estimated that approximately 75% of all dry cleaning facilities in the United States (U.S.) were contaminated, primarily with perchloroethylene (PCE). In a 2002 survey of 26 dry cleaning sites in California, PCE was detected at 85% of the sites. In 2008, the U.S. EPA estimated that 15,750 active dry cleaners required remediation while a Florida study of 150 contaminated dry cleaner sites revealed that contaminated groundwater had migrated off-site at approximately 57% of the facilities. Regardless of the actual number of PCE contaminated dry cleaning facilities in the U.S., their investigation and remediation will require decades and consume billions of dollars. A challenge in the forensic investigation of dry cleaning facilities is the reconstruction of a PCE release after the facility has undergone remediation and/or no opportunity exists for sample collection. While standards for conducting traditional environmental investigations are available, an accepted forensic investigative methodology specific to dry cleaners is not. A methodical sequence of activities is needed for conducting an environmental forensic investigation of a dry cleaning establishment to insure that the ability to identify the source and age of a contaminant release is optimized.