Cleanup of CTS of Asheville Superfund Site Significantly Reduces TCE, EPA Proposes Settlement to Recover Cleanup Costs
Cleanup of CTS of Asheville Superfund Site Significantly Reduces TCE, EPA Proposes Settlement to Recover Cleanup Costs ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (October 19, 2026) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that cleanup at the CTS of Asheville Superfund Site has reduced by 98 percent the trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations in vapor entering the adjacent Eastern Springs remediation system. In addition, ambient air sampling showed TCE concentrations well below the protective level. EPA has proposed a $7.6 million settlement with CTS Corporation, Mills Gap Road Associates, and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation to recover cleanup costs and is accepting public comment on the settlement through October 21, 2026. Groundwater flow transported TCE from the manufacturing site to Eastern Springs, located on nearby private property, where it bubbled to the surface, evaporated, and caused a localized ambient air issue near residential properties. While EPA has determined that operation of the vapor recovery system at Eastern Springs can now be suspended, quarterly ambient air sampling will continue to ensure conditions remain protective, and the system infrastructure will remain in place should it be needed in the future. “We are pleased to see cleanup strategies succeeding at this level at the CTS of Asheville Superfund Site,” said EPA Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber. “One of EPA’s highest priorities has been to eliminate potential human exposure to TCE for the people who live around this site.” Background: The CTS of Asheville Superfund Site was used to manufacture electronic components used in auto parts and hearing aids from 1959 until 1986. Mills Gap Road Associates (MGRA) purchased the 53.54-acre site in 1987. MGRA sold 44.89 acres to the Biltmore Group, LLC in 1997, which developed the 44.59 acres into a residential subdivision. The remaining 8.65 acres where the old facility was located is fenced and has been vacant since the mid-1990s. The building was demolished in 2011. The manufacturing process left the site contaminated with TCE and fuel oil. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 2012. For more information regarding the CTS of Asheville Superfund Site, go here: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/cts-millsgap. |