Missouri Valley in western Iowa is dealing with the environmental fallout of a Cold War missile site that was deactivated more than 60 years ago. A cleaning solvent called T-C-E (trichloroethene try-klor-oh-eth-uh-leen) seeped into the groundwater and the U-S Army Corps of Engineers started studying solutions in 2012. The process could take two more years and resident Rick Kohler (COLE-er) is among those who questioned the timeline at a recent informational meeting.
The federal government has provided some property owners with water purification systems, but residents like DeAnn Paul.worry that any level of T-C-E is too much.
. TCE has been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and other health complications.
Project manager Scott Sawyer says federal law restricts how quickly the agency can move.
The Corps says it’s tested three different treatment methods, each showing some reduction in T-C-E at the former Atlas D missile site in the Loess Hills of Harrison County.
