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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Chirping birds and buzzing bees now greet visitors to Pollinator Prairie in Olathe. But for neighbors living across the habitat, there's more than what meets the eye.
KSHB 41 Johnson County reporter Elyse Schoenig first broke the news of a new EPA report showing chemical contamination from a decades-old cleanup site still affecting some Olathe homes. The site 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, creating hazardous levels of at least four cancer-causing substances in the soil and groundwater.
Removal of most of the contaminated soil from the Chemical Commodities site began in 1991. After the plant closed, it was added to the EPA's national priority list in 1994.
About 10 years later, the agency started tracking vapor intrusion — chemical contamination that gets into the air, including inside dozens of homes near the site.
Greg and Kelly Divine have lived across from this site for decades.
"It was an eyesore for years and years and years," Greg Divine said.
Schoenig took questions and concerns from neighbors to EPA Regional Administrator Jim Macy. Many neighbors told KSHB 41 that our reports are the first place they've heard of the EPA's most recent five-year review.
"We've been door to door over the last 20 years. We've written a lot of letters," Macy said.
He said the agency has gained access to only 107 of the 156 homes it needs for testing.
"Our responsibility is to protect human health and the environment. And we can't do that without getting access to these homes," Macy said.
Macy pointed to a site map neighbors can check to see whether their property is within the contamination boundary.
She said the agency is holding another community meeting for neighbors to ask questions on Dec. 1. An EPA spokesperson said those details will be released later.
"How many of these people actually know that this is a Superfund site over here?" Divine said.
Schoenig asked Macy whether someone looking to buy a home in the area must be told about what happened at the site and the cleanup that's still ongoing.
"No, it's not required. It doesn't have to be disclosed in a real estate transaction," Macy said.
He also clarified there's no process in place for the EPA to learn when properties in the affected area are sold automatically.
"I still think a lot of these people don't understand the gravity of what was going on over here," Divine said.
When Greg Divine looks out his window today, he says he can't unsee what he saw.
"I had a front row seat," Divine said.
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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