The groundwater was contaminated with tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, that is believed to have come from one or more dry cleaners near the Five Points Mall in Bountiful.

The chemical showed up a mile away in two wells that provide drinking water to Woods Cross City's 7,400 residents.

One well had high levels of PCE and has been out of use. In the other, the contamination is low and within Federal Drinking Water Standards.

Exposure to PCE can cause liver damage and increased risk of cancer, according to the EPA.

“In the long-range it would benefit us as a city to have use again of that well,” said Woods Cross Mayor Kent Parry, although that could be years off.

Parry said the pollution doesn't pose a health risk, but the city would like to be able to use the water to address the growth that he expects in the city.

Since PCE is commonly used in dry cleaning, EPA believes the source is likely one of three dry cleaners - two that have closed down, one that is still open, but no longer uses the chemical - that are in the Five Points area, although EPA says it is unlikely that it could conclusively identify which of the three is responsible.

The EPA has been working with one dry cleaner to remove an underground storage structure that contained PCE, although the unit is still in place.

The EPA will accept public comments for the next 60 days on its proposal to add the Five Points site to the Superfund. There are currently 1,245 sites on the list and 61 proposed for addition to the fund.