Walt Disney World Laundry Facility Assessment and Remediation

his site is the subject of a Consent Order Agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). In March 1989, a perchloroethylene (PCE) filter ruptured and released approximately 150 gallons of PCE at one of the largest commercial laundries in the world. PCE is a chemical substance that is more dense than water and is the principal dry‑cleaning fluid used at the facility. The laundry has been in operation since 1971.

Following the spill, a preliminary investigation detected several chlorinated compounds in a ground‑water sample collected from a monitor well installed at the site. Subsequently, a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and a Health and Safety Plan (HASP) were prepared, as well as to perform a detailed investigation according to the approved Contamination Assessment Plan.

The investigation was conducted in multiple phases, starting with preliminary site screening. These preliminary activities include a soil gas survey and soil sampling, as well as preliminary ground‑water characterization. Preliminary ground‑water sampling involves using in‑situ techniques to collect samples from multiple locations across the site, plus laboratory analysis of ground water from the existing monitor well for the base neutral and acid extractable compounds, semi‑volatile compounds, and priority pollutant metals, including lead.

The subsequent focused contamination assessment involved installation of permanent (shallow, intermediate, and deep) monitor well clusters; collection and chemical analysis of ground‑water samples for volatile organic compounds. Slug and aquifer performance tests were performed to gain an understanding of the hydraulic characteristics of the surficial zone and the Floridan aquifer system. Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) was prepared and submitted to the regulatory agency as a precursor to developing remedial alternatives for the site.