Registry Placement Date: Sept. 16, 2021

Score: 46

County: Mohave

Location

The site investigation area is in Lake Havasu City, generally bound by Industrial Boulevard to the north, El Camino Drive to the south, the Orion Lane alignment to the east, and Lake Havasu to the west.

If you own a private well, live in or near the site boundaries, and have not had your well tested, please contact ADEQ.

Contaminants of Concern

Tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), and arsenic.

Action Taken

From 2001 to 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered soil, soil gas and groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metal(s) near the northeast corner of Lake Havasu Avenue and Bahama Avenue.

From 2019 to 2020, ADEQ conducted a Preliminary Investigation (PI) near that location which confirmed the presence of PCE, TCE and thallium in the groundwater above their respective Arizona Aquifer Water Quality Standards (AWQS). The maximum concentration of PCE detected was 5.82 micrograms per liter (µg/L), TCE was 2,650 µg/L and thallium was 5.08 µg/L. Shallow soil sampling indicated the presence of arsenic above Arizona Soil Remediation Levels (SRLs), with a maximum concentration detected at 17.2 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Based upon this data, the site was recommended for listing on the WQARF Site Registry.

After listing the site on the WQARF Registry in September 2021, ADEQ began the Remedial Investigation (RI), during which multiple monitoring wells were installed and sampled to define the extent of groundwater contamination, and soil and soil-gas samples were collected to determine the sources of the contamination. ADEQ also collected samples to determine if there are current or potential future exposure routes at the site.

In December 2022, a former waste clarifier pit was discovered, containing residual sludge that included PCE and TCE. ADEQ did an Early Response Action (ERA) to remove the former structure and surrounding contaminated soils. Overall, 1,300 gallons of residual sludge and 50 tons of contaminated soils were removed.

In 2023, after activities conducted by a property owner, ADEQ assessed and re-sampled the shallow soil locations that previously contained arsenic over its SRL. ADEQ determined that the arsenic-containing soils had been either capped or removed by the property owner.

In February 2025, ADEQ conducted a second ERA to remove high concentrations of PCE and TCE in soil vapors found while drilling monitoring wells at the site. A Soil Vapor Extraction System ran for four months, and removed a combined 154 pounds of PCE and TCE from the soils.

Since the site was listed on the WQARF registry, thallium was detected in groundwater once over AWQS in one sample in 2023, at a concentration of 6.7 µg/L. Thallium was not detected in subsequent sampling, and is currently considered a contaminant of potential concern.

In groundwater sampling conducted in May 2026, PCE was detected over its AWQS of 5 µg/L in one monitoring well, at 6.8 µg/L. The highest concentration of TCE in groundwater was 610 µg/L, over the AWQS of 5 µg/L. This was a reduction from the TCE concentration of 2,250 µg/L detected before the ERAs in 2022. The site contaminants were not present over AWQS in the monitoring wells closest to Lake Havasu.

Status

In July 2026, the Draft RI Report was released for public comment. The public notice and Draft RI Report can be found in the Site Repository (see Sidebar). The public comment period runs through September 14, 2026.

Community Advisory Board (CAB)

A community involvement area has been established and ADEQ is in the process of forming a Community Advisory Board (CAB). If you are interested in serving on the CAB for this site, please contact the Community Involvement Coordinator. More information is available in the Community Involvement Plan (CIP) | View CIP >