The Former Fashion Cleaners site, located in a commercial area of Pocatello, Idaho, poses an environmental concern due to soil vapor intrusion. The 0.13-acre site housed a small business and a residential apartment, both currently vacant. Operating as a dry cleaner from 1949 to 2014, the facility handled hazardous chemicals, including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE). In 2011, 7,900 pounds of liquid PCE and TCE waste were transported off-site for disposal.
Fashion Dry Cleaners was designated a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator of F002 hazardous waste, including PCE and TCE, in both 1994 and 2012. A 2019 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) on a neighboring property identified the former dry cleaner as a Recognized Environmental Condition. Subsequently, a Phase II ESA conducted at the adjacent property revealed PCE and TCE in sub-slab soil vapor and ambient air samples. These findings prompted the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) to request an Initial Site Characterization of the Fashion Cleaners site, which was completed in November 2019. Further investigations led IDEQ to request assistance from the EPA Removal Programs in March 2020 to address the contamination.
