Free health screenings offered for contaminated site in Wichita

Health experts say screenings help identify potential impacts from trichloroethylene, or TCE, exposure.

Mar. 9, 2026 at 10:09am

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Health Care By Free health testing for Wichita-area residents who spent time around groundwater contamination near 29th and Grove is now available through a coordinated initiative that will connect them to clinics and community partners. The testing effort is tied to a decades-old groundwater contamination plume in northeast Wichita, which originated from a chemical spill at a nearby rail yard sometime in the 1970s.

Why it matters

The contamination spread through a groundwater plume roughly three miles long affecting parts of northeast Wichita, from 27th to Murdock. Many residents in the area said they were unaware of the spill until a public meeting in 2022 brought renewed attention to the issue. The free testing aims to help identify potential health impacts from exposure to the hazardous chemicals TCE and PCE.

The details

After the city of Wichita discovered the contamination near 29th and Grove in 1994, testing revealed hazardous levels of trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE, and tetrachloroethene, an industrial solvent and known carcinogen that can harm through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact. The Clearway Testing initiative, supported by a $3.5 million grant, will provide free health screenings this year through several Wichita health organizations for people who lived, worked, attended school, went to church or otherwise spent time near the northeast Wichita area from the 1970s to the present.

  • The contamination was discovered by the city of Wichita in 1994.
  • A public meeting in 2022 brought renewed attention to the issue.
  • The Clearway Testing initiative launches on March 9, 2026.
  • The free health screenings will be available through December 31, 2026.

The players

Clearway Testing

A coordinated initiative that will connect Wichita-area residents to clinics and community partners for free health screenings related to the groundwater contamination.

Ryan W. Gates

CEO of PANO Marketing, which is behind the Clearway Testing initiative.

GraceMed Health Clinic

One of the five organizations offering free health screenings through the Clearway Testing initiative.

HealthCore Clinic

One of the five organizations offering free health screenings through the Clearway Testing initiative.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

The state agency that has provided information about the health risks of TCE exposure.

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What they’re saying

“Clearway is a targeted push to clarify things like, 'What is testing?' and 'Why should I get tested?' There's a lot of murkiness around that, and so the idea behind Clearway is to clarify a clear way forward.”

— Ryan W. Gates, CEO of PANO Marketing (kansas.com)

“Everyone's trying to figure out how to make this as accessible and easy as possible. They're large clinics and health centers that are in the community and have been working on this issue for years and years and years and years. So there's a level of trust that's already there — 'Okay, I can go get this health test from some place I may have been before.'”

— Ryan W. Gates, CEO of PANO Marketing (kansas.com)

“We don't want to just say, 'Here, do this.' We want to go and hear from the community, and they tell us what they want: How do they need testing to be? What can we do to make it more accessible? What are the things they're fearful of? How can we help be a solution toward justice for this area?”

— Ryan W. Gates, CEO of PANO Marketing (kansas.com)

What’s next

The Clearway website will continue to expand over the next several months to include additional resources and is intended to become a central information hub about the contamination and related health concerns.

The takeaway

This initiative aims to provide free and accessible health screenings to Wichita residents who may have been exposed to hazardous chemicals like TCE and PCE from a decades-old groundwater contamination, helping to identify potential health impacts and build community trust in accessing routine medical care.