8 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A heated meeting on Saturday over the 29th and Grove contamination site. Residents were upset that more hadn’t been done to clean up the pollution.
The meeting was an attempt to update the public on the project.
There was a level of intensity in the room filled with some who have lost loved ones to cancer in the area. They want accountability because the cleanup did not happen years ago.
Still grieving from loss, Aujanae Bennett has lived in the neighborhood her entire life. She is curious to know if exposure to trichloroethylene contributed to health problems that turned fatal.
“It’s very hurtful, my father and two other fathers, all three of them died of kidney cancer, none of them had a history of drinking or smoking or any such thing,” said Wichita resident, Aujanae Bennett.
Her main concern now is that, although free health screenings are being offered to area residents, she is worried about people being held responsible for payment if health issues are found.
“They’re going to tell you what they told me, go see your primary care doctor, if you don’t have a primary care doctor, there’s no specific plan in place to help you progress and be better,” said Bennett.
Kansas State Representative Ford Carr, who grew up in the area, wonders if he could end up with health issues after he played in groundwater and drank the well water.
“Our community continues to need education, there are still individuals that live in this community, that have lived in this community in the past, and they’re not really aware of what’s taken place,” said Kansas State. Rep. Ford Carr (D-Wichita).
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment spoke about the cleanup efforts.
Wichita City Councilman, Brandon Johnson said monitoring of the pollution needs to continue because the community deserves answers.
“It’s been 40 years. For many folks, they haven’t seen any changes, but what they do know is the groundwater is still contaminated and it shouldn’t be,” said Wichita City Councilman, Brandon Johnson.
Local youth civic engagement group, Root the Power, plans to go door to door within the next month, to see if there are more private wells that could be contaminated.
By late 2024, the KDHE cleanup plan expects to install groundwater extraction wells.