Site Updates:
In the early spring of 2026, BMU contractors – working under an agreement with Vestis – began the construction of a new public drinking water well and the underground piping infrastructure to connect the well to the treatment plant. As of March 26, 2026, approximately 2,600 feet out of a total of 4,800 feet of the underground piping has been installed for the first well.
Background:
The site involves an active laundry business and a former dry cleaner in Sikeston, Missouri, where a chemical called tetrachloroethylene (PCE) has contaminated the groundwater, affecting two of the city's public drinking water wells. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 to take action to protect the public drinking water wells and address the risk of harmful vapors entering buildings. On November 25, 2024, EPA reached an agreement with Vestis Services, LLC, the company responsible for the contamination, requiring them to:
1. address the impact on public drinking water
2. map out the extent of groundwater contamination
3. assess and reduce vapor intrusion risks; and,
4. establish rules to prevent future issues.
The contamination has affected public drinking water wells #8 and #13. Well #8 has had detections of PCE from 2006 to 2024 when the well was taken out of service due to a lightning strike. On two occasions in 2009, PCE in well #8 exceeded health-based standards for drinking water. Well #13 was installed in 2013 and PCE was detected in the well beginning in 2021. After well #8 was taken out of service in 2024, PCE and its related breakdown contaminants have not been detected in treated water. Treated drinking water served to the public has not exceeded health-based standards for drinking water. These health-based standards for drinking water are referred to as “Maximum Contaminant Levels” or MCLs.
Vestis has identified areas with contaminated groundwater and continues to test to assess exposure risks. Vapor intrusion, where harmful chemicals enter buildings as gas, was previously found at the Vestis facility, and a system was installed to reduce it.
