DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Environmental officials broke the news to close to a hundred residents at Kiser Middle School Thursday that Chrysler Corporation agreed to clean up only a portion of residences with contaminated groundwater seeping up in their homes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that it will use available taxpayer funds to cover the other 200 potentially-contaminated homes in the eastern portion of the McCook Field neighborhood.

EPA officials found dangerously-high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) in homes and schools in the immediate vicinity of Behr Dayton Thermal Products plant at 1600 Webster Street last year.

Environmental officials said that the chemical – which used to be used as a degreaser and a cleaner – seeped into soil and groundwater after a spill and is now vaporizing into harmful air in residences.

Chrysler operated out of the building until 2001 and agreed to cover the costs to test and clean out toxic vapors for affected residents north of Keowee Street.

Federal, state and local officials demanded earlier this year that Chrysler do the same for the McCook Field neighborhood south of Keowee Street after TCE levels were still rising in the area.

Chrysler updated its site plans earlier this month to include 94 homes in the western portion of the McCook neighborhood, Steve Renninger, on-scene coordinator for the U.S. EPA said.

Renninger told residents that the EPA is still putting pressure on Chrysler to cover the entire area but that cleaning out the homes was an immediate priority.

Residents in the potentially affected neighborhoods were asked to sign access agreements for homes to be tested and treated for chemical exposure.

Renninger said he hopes to have the homes tested beginning next month and and another round of tests in February.