The North Industrial Corridor Site (NIC) encompasses approximately 4,000 acres of commercial, industrial, and residential properties in the north central area of Wichita, Kansas. This site includes three previously distinct areas former known as: the 29th and Mead Superfund Site, the 13th and Washington Area, and the northeast extension area. Contaminants which have been detected in the NIC Site include: trichloroethene; tetrachloroethene; vinyl chloride; l,2-dichloroethen; 1,1,1-trichloroethane; and benzene.
The 29th and Mead Site was declared a Superfund Site in February, 1990. In July, 1994 the City of Wichita petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove the 29th and Mead Site from the National Priorities List (NPL) in order to implement a local/state/federal cooperative partnership modeled after the successful strategy employed at the Gilbert and Mosley Site in Wichita, Kansas. This approach utilizes a Tax Increment Finance District (TIF) implemented within the site boundaries to generate finances to help fund the investigation and remediation. On November 14, 1995, the City of Wichita signed a Settlement Agreement with the State of Kansas under which the City agreed to assume responsibility for investigation and developing a cleanup strategy for the NIC Site, if the site was removed from the NPL. On April 29, 1996 the 29th and Mead site was deleted from the NPL allowing the creation of the North Industrial Corridor Site and the TIF district. (Download the North Industrial Corridor Site Map)
The City of Wichita has re-established financial lending in the NIC area through a legal agreement with local lending institutions. The Agreement states that the institutions will not refuse to lend on the security of real properties located within the NIC site which are owned or operated by person or entities who have obtained a Certificate of Release for environmental conditions. Certificates of Release are granted by the City to property owners who have demonstrated through documentation or investigation that they have not contributed to the contamination in the NIC Site.
The City has also established a NIC Participation Agreement with 28 business entities within the NIC Site. The signatories or participants to this agreement have agreed to support the City's environmental efforts within the NIC Site and have contributed financially towards the NIC investigation. This agreement also establishes a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) composed of participants who will interact with and assist the City in overseeing and reviewing technical activities and documents of any consultants retained to conduct work in the NIC Site.
A local information repository containing the administrative record files or public information on the NIC Site has been established at the City of Wichita, Environmental Services Department located at 1900 E. 9th Street North. The repository is open to the public by appointment. Any interested party may schedule an appointment by calling the Environmental Services Department at (316) 268-8351, or interested parties may contact the State of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Remedation at (785) 296-1935.
Download the NIC Certificate & Release Application Form here.