Background
In June 2022, the New Mexico
Environment Department (NMED) Ground Water
Quality Bureau (GWQB) identified a historical dry cleaner at the
South Carlisle Shopping Village strip mall, located at the intersection of
Carlisle Blvd SE and Simms Ave SE in Albuquerque, for further assessment. The
former dry cleaners include Carlisle Village Cleaners. The chemicals associated with historic dry-cleaning operations,
including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its breakdown chemical
trichloroethene (TCE), have the potential to enter buildings through
subsurface soil gas vapors.
In January 2022, NMED completed a Pre-CERCLA
Screening report. In July 2022, NMED
completed an Abbreviated Preliminary Assessment, in which NMED collected
subsurface soil gas vapor samples at the former dry cleaner. Laboratory
results indicated the presence of PCE and TCE in soil gas. In August 2022, the
NMED GWQB recommended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) further
assess potential soil gas vapor intrusion at the former dry cleaner and four additional commercial buildings within the strip mall and conduct additional
sampling to identify the location and source of the chemicals.
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