Oh Kansas, What Have You Done, NOW?

[JackLuis]

Kansas government didn’t tell Wichita-area residents their water was contaminated for 6 years

According to The Wichita Eagle, hundreds of residents drank water that was contaminated by a dry cleaning chemical known as perchloroethylene that had seeped into the groundwater.

The discovery was made in 2011 when investigating a possible expansion of a Kwik Shop, but it took six years for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to inform the residents. But, wells owned by private citizens less than a mile away weren’t tested.

For Joe Hufman, it was seven years before he learned his suburban well was contaminated by a Haysville dry cleaner.

“Haysville knew it. KDHE knew it. Kwik Shop knew it,” he told The Eagle.

The KDHE warned the state legislature that a tax on the cleaning solvent wouldn’t be enough to fund cleanup on such sights, but they passed the law anyway. There’s even a line in it that directs the KDHE not to look for contamination from dry cleaners and “make every reasonable effort” to keep the sites off the federal Superfund list.

Currently, 163 sites exist, despite the state being told not to look for them. So far, ten sites are being cleaned with five more scheduled. As of Oct. 2017, there was a backlog of 70 sites that weren’t funded to be cleaned up. The KDHE cut that down to 22 by looking at whether there were wells that could be impacted in the area.

How many other states would legislate a cover up?

 

[VeraBad]

Kansas government didn’t tell Wichita-area residents their water was contaminated for 6 years



How many other states would legislate a cover up?

Under this administration(?), the red ones for sure.