Dry cleaners contamination clean up can be a costly and time-consuming process, but understanding the costs involved can help you prepare and make informed decisions.
The cost of cleanup can range from $10,000 to $100,000 or more, depending on the severity of the contamination.
A contaminated dry cleaner site in California was found to have costs exceeding $1 million due to soil, groundwater, and building contamination.
The average cost of remediation for a contaminated dry cleaner site is around $50,000.
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Contamination Cleanup Cost
The cost of cleaning up dry cleaner contamination can be staggering. The average cost for cleanup of a PCE release from a dry cleaner is about $600,000+.
Each cleanup, from investigation to remediation, can cost an average of $1 million to $10 million. Estimates suggest that it could take from 220 to 2,941 years to fund the necessary remediation with the current annual funding available.
The state water board estimates that there could be at least 10,000 dry cleaner sites left to clean up in California, with about 700 already identified. This is a massive task, and the funding needed to complete it is substantial.
The Site Cleanup Account Program (SCAP Fund) was established in 2016 to provide financial resources for the California Water Board and local agency staff to identify old dry cleaner sites and require owners to investigate and clean up contamination. However, funding applications have overwhelmed the SCAP Fund's limited resources.
To give you a better idea of the costs involved, here is a rough breakdown of the estimated costs for cleaning up dry cleaner contamination:
Keep in mind that these are rough estimates, and the actual cost of cleaning up a dry cleaner site can vary widely depending on the specific circumstances.
Eligibility and Funding
To be eligible for funding to clean up dry cleaner contamination, you need to meet specific requirements. You must own the dry cleaning facility or drop station, or own the property where the facility or drop station is located.
If you previously owned a property with a dry cleaner facility or drop station and have an agreement with the current owner to cover cleanup costs, you're also eligible.
In Texas, the Dry Cleaning Remediation Fund provides assistance with cleanup costs, but you must meet one of these conditions to be eligible.
To apply for funding, complete the DCRP Ranking Application form, which can be found on the relevant website.
The DCRP cannot begin corrective action at a site until it has been ranked and prioritized. Site ranking measures a site's potential impact on human health and the environment, while site prioritization takes into account non-risk factors that promote effective use of the fund.
In California, the state has allocated $500 million to clean up pollution in disadvantaged communities, with $152 million specifically for investigating PCE contamination from dry cleaners.
The state water board has a separate fund of around $34 million per year to clean up various chemical pollution plumes, including petroleum and PCE.
The estimated cost of cleaning up all PCE-contaminated dry cleaners in California ranges from $7.5 billion to $100 billion, with the average cleanup costing between $1 million and $10 million.
If the state water board maintains its current annual funding, it could take anywhere from 220 to 2,941 years to fund the necessary remediation.
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Environmental Impact
The environmental impact of dry cleaners contamination is a serious issue in California. The state has about 700 polluted dry cleaner sites, with estimates suggesting there could be at least 10,000 more.
Each cleanup from investigation to remediation can cost anywhere from $1 million to $10 million. The state water board estimates that it could take from 220 to 2,941 years to fund the necessary remediation at the current annual funding rate.
The average cost of a PCE release cleaning up a dry cleaner site is estimated to be around $600,000, with some sites requiring significantly more due to larger plume lengths.
The sheer scale of the problem is staggering, with countless communities across California sitting atop dry cleaner pollution plumes.
Cleanup Time in California
Cleanup time in California can be a long and complex process, especially when it comes to dry cleaner sites. It's estimated to take at least 10 years, and possibly 15 years or more, to clean up a dry cleaner site in California.
The reason for this is that dry cleaner contamination has stricter cleanup goals than petroleum hydrocarbon releases from underground storage tanks. For example, the cleanup goal for tetrachloroethylene in groundwater is 0.64 micrograms per liter, which is significantly lower than the goal for benzene in groundwater.
Each cleanup can cost anywhere from $1 million to $10 million, which is a significant burden on the owners of these sites. Cheryl Prowell, the state water board's supervisor of underground storage tank and cleanup programs section, notes that dry cleaners can be difficult to clean up because they're often small, family-owned businesses that don't have a lot of resources.
The state water board estimates that there are about 700 polluted dry cleaner sites that need to be cleaned up, and possibly as many as 10,000.
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Water Pollution in California
Water pollution in California is a significant issue, particularly when it comes to dry cleaners. At least 7,500 dry cleaning business locations exist in the state, with an estimated 75% of them creating plumes of underground PCE contamination.
These plumes can stretch for miles and vaporize from the soil into the indoor air of nearby homes, schools, and businesses. The regional water quality control board has worked for decades with the owners of the dry cleaner properties in an attempt to remediate the pollution.
The state water board estimates that there could be at least 10,000 PCE-contaminated dry cleaners in California, with 700 already being worked on for cleanup. Each cleanup costs an average of $1 million to $10 million, putting estimates to clean up all PCE-contaminated dry cleaners in California at anywhere from $7.5 billion to $100 billion.
California officials have known about the massive extent of the pollution in the state since at least the early 1990s. In 1992, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board sounded the alarm about the potential extent of the burgeoning problem in its area.
A statewide cleanup fund may be necessary to address the issue, as most dry cleaners are small businesses that may not have the financial capability to define the contamination plume and conduct cleanup. The state water board has about 700 polluted dry cleaner sites it's working to clean up and estimates there could be at least 10,000 left.
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Here's a rough breakdown of the estimated costs and timeframes for cleaning up PCE-contaminated dry cleaners in California:
Keep in mind that these estimates are based on current funding and may change over time. The state water board has a separate pot of roughly $34 million each year to clean up various chemical pollution plumes throughout California, including petroleum and PCE.
Business Affordability
Many dry cleaning businesses in California are barely holding on due to dwindling clientele and multi-million-dollar PCE cleanups.
A shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic obliterated profits, with many dry cleaners seeing sales drop more than 50% with little rebound since the end of lockdowns.
Each cleanup from investigation to remediation costs an average of $1 million to $10 million, making it a staggering financial burden for small, family-owned businesses.
Dry cleaners can be really difficult to work with because they often don't have a lot of resources, said Cheryl Prowell, the state water board's supervisor of underground storage tank and cleanup programs section.
The state water board has about 700 polluted dry cleaner sites it's working to clean up, and estimates there could be at least 10,000 left, making the task ahead massive.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the contamination of dry cleaners?
Contamination from dry cleaners often involves the presence of TCE and PCE, two chemicals that persist in the environment and contaminate soil and groundwater
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