CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Groundwater contamination at the former WearEver aluminum cookware plant continued through 2025, according to a fourth‑quarter environmental progress report submitted by Howmet Aerospace to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The report, released Jan. 9, outlines monitoring, inspection, and maintenance activities conducted during the final quarter of the year at the site, long regarded as one of Chillicothe’s most contaminated locations.

Sampling data provided to the Ohio EPA show multiple detections of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, above federal drinking‑water standards in both on‑site and off‑site monitoring wells.

Among the highest concentrations were recorded in the site’s quarterly plume‑monitoring network. In a shallow well labeled MW‑D‑S, trichloroethylene, or TCE, measured 390 micrograms per liter, compared with a federal maximum contaminant level of 5 micrograms per liter. An intermediate‑zone well, MW‑C‑I, showed vinyl chloride at 290 micrograms per liter, above its 2‑microgram‑per‑liter standard. The same well-recorded cis‑1,2‑dichloroethylene at 2,900 micrograms per liter, far exceeding the federal limit of 70 micrograms per liter.

The report notes that TCE continues to degrade into its daughter products, including cis‑1,2‑dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride. Federal health agencies classify vinyl chloride as a known human carcinogen, and it carries a lower federal drinking‑water limit than TCE — 2 micrograms per liter, compared with 5. Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with increased risks of liver cancer and other serious health effects.

Historical data show that concentrations of the daughter products have not consistently declined. At MW‑OS‑1‑I, a concentration‑versus‑time chart shows a gradual upward trend in both cis‑1,2‑dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride across portions of the monitoring period, with multiple elevated spikes. According to the data, levels of the breakdown compounds have, at times, increased even as TCE concentrations declined.

Howmet has stated in regulatory filings that natural attenuation is expected to continue over decades, with full stabilization projected to take roughly 100 years. Several monitoring wells remain above federal drinking‑water standards and have not demonstrated a consistent downward trend.

Off‑site wells also showed exceedances. In MW‑OS‑1‑I, an intermediate‑zone well northeast of the property, vinyl chloride measured 14 micrograms per liter. The well also showed cis‑1,2‑dichloroethylene at 620 micrograms per liter and TCE at 21 micrograms per liter, all above federal limits.

The report documents continued operation and maintenance of vapor‑intrusion mitigation systems within the facility. The systems are designed to prevent chemical vapors from migrating into the building. Before their installation, Ohio EPA data showed subslab gas levels nearly 2 million times above regulatory screening levels inside the former WearEver building.

WearEver returned to the headlines in 2025 following the closure of the Chillicothe Paper Mill. As previously reported by the Guardian, the mill’s two high‑capacity collector wells have long created a hydraulic draw that pulls groundwater toward the property. Documentation published in 2025 shows that shutting off those wells would remove that draw, causing groundwater levels to rise and allowing the contaminated plume beneath the WearEver site to shift toward homes and businesses along Eastern Avenue. The mill’s closure raised statewide concern about how plume movement could change if the wells were taken offline.

Planned activities for early 2026 include additional groundwater sampling, continued system maintenance, inspection of the containment cap, and preparation of a federally required five‑year environmental review.

The former WearEver facility, once operated by Alcoa, has a documented history of groundwater contamination linked to historical manufacturing operations. The site remains under state oversight, and groundwater monitoring continues under regulatory controls.

For more information on the site, visit the Wear Ever Exposed Facebook page to learn more.