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Underground Pollution Not Spreading At Whirlpool

Arkansas Times

A consultant's report says a plume of underground pollution at the former Whirlpool Corp. factory in Fort Smith isn't spreading.

People living near the plant have sued Whirlpool over the contamination.

City Administrator Ray Gosack said Wednesday that the report only shows that the plume has been stable for the last year.

The Southwest Times Record reports trichloroethylene, or TCE, seeped into groundwater at the plant and spread to an adjacent neighborhood.

The chemical was used as a solvent and is now a known carcinogen.

Property records show affected land includes 55 parcels, including 47 residences and three commercial sites.

Consulting firm Environ sampled 66 wells in the fall and 39 in the spring.