29th & Grove Groundwater Cleanup: What Wichita Residents Should Know Now
Updated: Oct 6
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has approved the engineering design for the groundwater cleanup systems at Wichita’s 29th and Grove Site. The Sept. 12 open house has now taken place, and the project is moving toward contractor selection, permits and construction. The cleanup is not complete; residents still have reasons to track where wells, pipelines and treatment buildings will go, how vapor-intrusion testing is handled, and when construction begins.
UPDATE — Oct. 6, 2026: KDHE says it is reviewing NPDES permit applications, Union Pacific is to solicit construction bids and select a contractor, and construction can begin after the contractor secures required permits, materials and equipment.
What happened at the Sept. 12 open house
KDHE hosted the Sept. 12 open house at Brewer Community Center with Union Pacific Railroad representatives. The session covered the planned extraction and injection wells, underground pipeline routes, treatment buildings, vapor-intrusion re-evaluation and indoor-air testing conducted to date. KDHE now lists the event as completed and has posted meeting resources on the official project page.
Residents will be able to review information about the planned groundwater cleanup system, ask questions directly, and learn whether their property may fall within areas targeted for vapor-intrusion evaluation or other testing.
What changed
KDHE approved Union Pacific's engineering design drawings for the groundwater cleanup systems on July 30, 2026. The approved design includes planned extraction and injection wells, treatment buildings, and underground pipelines used to move groundwater through the cleanup system.
Approval of the design does not mean construction is already complete or that cleanup is finished. Union Pacific still must bid the construction work, select a contractor, obtain necessary construction-related approvals and materials, and secure required discharge permits before treated groundwater can be discharged to Chisholm Creek. KDHE has said those NPDES permit applications are under review.
What residents should know about the contamination
The primary contaminant associated with the site is trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent.
KDHE describes the groundwater plume as extending roughly 2.9 miles from the site area.
KDHE states that Wichita's public water system is not impacted by the TCE plume and remains safe for drinking and bathing.
Vapor intrusion remains an important property-level question. KDHE is reviewing a draft vapor-intrusion re-evaluation report, and residents can ask whether their property is within the zone targeted for indoor-air testing.
Union Pacific is responsible for the cleanup work and associated cleanup costs according to KDHE.
Why the Sept. 12 session still matters
The open house is over, but the same property-specific questions remain useful. Residents can still use KDHE’s maps and project materials to understand where a home, business, church, school, rental property or other location sits in relation to the groundwater plume, vapor-testing area, proposed wells, pipelines, treatment buildings and future construction zones.
Questions worth bringing
Is my address inside the groundwater plume or the vapor-intrusion evaluation area?
Has my property been tested, should it be tested, and what testing remains outstanding?
Where will extraction wells, injection wells, pipelines, and treatment buildings be located near my property?
What construction impacts should residents expect — traffic, noise, access, excavation, road closures, or other disruptions?
What cleanup standards will determine whether the project is working, and how often will results be reported publicly?
What is the projected construction and cleanup timeline, and which milestones should residents watch?
How will vapor-intrusion findings be communicated to property owners, tenants, schools, churches, and businesses?
What happens if monitoring shows contamination outside the currently identified boundaries?
The RRCBA connection
For RRCBA, this issue sits at the intersection of several Community Standards: health, neighborhood safety and quality of life, communication, civic engagement, housing, and equitable neighborhood investment. Environmental cleanup is not only a technical engineering project; it also affects whether residents have timely information, meaningful participation, property-level clarity, and confidence that long-term decisions are being monitored in the public interest.
The goal is not alarm. It is informed participation. Residents should understand the science, see the maps, know the timeline, ask property-specific questions, and have a clear way to stay involved after the open house.
Official resources
KDHE maintains the official 29th and Grove project page with public-meeting information, cleanup documents, implementation updates, maps, reports, and frequently asked questions. Project materials are also available at the Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library, 3051 E. 21st St. N., Wichita. KDHE's project contact number is 785-296-8896.
Stay involved as construction approaches
Use KDHE’s project page to follow implementation updates, permits, construction milestones and meeting materials. Share verified information with neighbors, especially those who may not routinely receive agency updates, and continue the conversation through RRCBA’s committee structure so health, neighborhood safety, communications, civic engagement and housing concerns can be tracked together rather than in isolation.
Better information leads to better questions. Better questions create stronger accountability. And stronger accountability gives residents a better chance to shape what happens in their own neighborhoods.
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