WAUKESHA, Wis. — It often takes several years to remove pollution beneath Wisconsin drycleaning plants — and to find resources to pay for it.
The manner in which shirts and garments were dry cleaned in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s sometimes led to the release of solvents now classified as pollutants into the soil and groundwater, posing a risk to drinking water and the release of vapors into nearby buildings.
EnviroForensics, an environmental engineering firm, reports that it has begun cleaning up pollution under many of Wisconsin’s oldest drycleaning establishments. In each case, the firm worked with sister company PolicyFind to locate the dry cleaner’s old general liability insurance policies to pay for the environmental investigations and clean-ups.
While PolicyFind locates the insurance policies that may help business owners, EnviroForensics works with attorneys, regulatory agency officials and the insurance company to go through all the steps necessary to remediate the contamination and protect human health and the environment.
Dan Martino Sr., owner of Martino’s Master Dry Cleaners, Kenosha, Wis., hired EnviroForensics to locate and clean up pollution at three of his sites. “Remediating chlorinated solvents in soil and ground water is a long process, but I look forward to the value of my business being restored to fair market value,” Martino wrote in a letter expressing his appreciation for the company’s work.
Steve Klinke, co-owner of Klinke Cleaners, Madison, Wis., called in EnviroForensics after his company realized that the scope of initial pollution removal work under its original plant was greater than previously thought.
“We are grateful to have EnviroForensics on our team,” Klinke wrote four years later. “They truly understand the insurance angle and the science, and we couldn’t be more relieved.”
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