More clarity on the EPA's 5-year chemical contamination review in Olathe

OLATHE, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 confirmed chemical contamination beneath a decades-old Olathe cleanup site continues to threaten nearby homes.

Federal testing shows at least 22 homes near the site need special systems installed to keep chemical vapors out. The EPA said it is now expanding the number of vapor mitigation systems in homes.

The contamination is connected to the Superfund site formerly home to Chemical Commodities, Inc. on South Keeler Street.

KSHB 41 Johnson County reporter Elyse Schoenig broke the news of that report this week and has since received questions and concerns from viewers in the area, many of whom said this was the first they had heard of the new EPA report and want clarity on what it means for their homes.

Schoenig is in contact with the EPA for a sit-down interview. In the meantime, she reviewed the EPA's five-year review, which documents the sampling findings and the ongoing repairs.

The EPA's five-year review shows the agency sampled 108 homes from November 2021 to July of 2026. Of those, 22 needed new or repaired air systems. The report states those repairs were ongoing as of September of 2026.

The documents also state the EPA will "continue to alert" those impacted homeowners.

The report also includes a map showing each sampled home and whether the sample exceeded EPA action levels.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7

The EPA's most recent report revealed that the chemical contamination cleanup expected to be done in 100 years could now take hundreds of years to return the neighborhood back to normal levels.

The site, known today as Pollinator Prairie, was formerly home to Chemical Commodities, Inc., a chemical broker and recycler that operated in Olathe from 1951 to 1989.

The EPA confirmed the chemicals were not stored properly and leaked into the soil and groundwater. Chemical Commodities, Inc. had multiple chemical fires, spills and leaks while in operation.

That created hazardous levels of at least four cancer-causing substances in the soil and groundwater.

The site removed most of the contaminated soil, beginning in 1991. The plant was added to the EPA's national priority list in 1994.

About 10 years later, the agency began tracking vapor intrusion, which occurs when chemical contamination gets into the air, including inside dozens of homes near the site.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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