About the DSCA Program

The Dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act of 1997 (DSCA) and its amendments established a fund to assess and cleanup dry-cleaning solvent contamination at dry-cleaning and wholesale distribution facilities and authorized the program to develop and enforce rules to prevent dry-cleaning solvent releases at operating facilities. The DSCA program is wholly funded by receipts from taxes on dry-cleaning sales and dry-cleaning solvents. Financial statements and program accomplishments are summarized yearly in the DSCA Annual Report.

Tab/Accordion Items

The remediation program is available to:

  • past and present dry-cleaning business owners, operators or lessees.
  • past and present property owners where an active or former dry-cleaning business or wholesale solvent distribution facility operated.

These additional conditions must be met:

  • An operating dry-cleaner or distribution facility must be in compliance with the Minimum Management Practices (MMPs).
  • Soil and/or groundwater samples collected at the property show dry-cleaning solvent contamination.

Tip:

  • Commercial laundry, uniform rental or fabric manufacturing facilities are not eligible.
  • Prospective developers or property buyers are not eligible until they are the legal owners of the site.

Application Fee
When the complete petition package is submitted, there is a $1000 fee.

Annual Co-pay
While in the DSCA program, petitioners will be invoiced annually for a co-payment based on money spent by DSCA on their site.  Co-payments range from 1% to 2% based on the type of operation as shown below.

 

Small Cleaner

Medium Cleaner

Large Cleaner

Wholesale

Abandoned

Less than 5 full-time employees

5 to 9 full-time employees

10 or more full- time employees

Wholesale Distribution

Former facilities, pick-up stores

1%

1.5%

2%

2%

1.5%

If the DSCA program spends over $1 million on a site, there is no longer any co-payment required from the petitioner.  A table showing examples of how the co-payment works can be found in the DSCA Fact Sheet.

Funding for Cleanup
DSCA will pay between 98 to 99% of the assessment and cleanup costs depending on your co-pay classification. 

Cleanup Services
Your site is assigned to a DSCA project manager and to an independent, state-contracted environmental engineering firm.  Your DSCA project manager will oversee all of the activities to determine the extent and degree of contamination and, if necessary, implement cleanup action.

Liability Protection
DSCA protects you from being ordered by other state agencies to clean up the dry-cleaning contamination at your own expense.

Risk-based Cleanups
DSCA cleanups use risk-based standards. These standards are calculated for each site and are dependent on what receptors (e.g. drinking wells and surface water), if any, are being threatened by the contamination. The result is that cleanup goals are often easier to achieve and completed quicker.

Property Marketability
Participation in DSCA can help remove the stigma of contaminated property and may facilitate property transactions, development, and/or reuse.

Participation in the DSCA cleanup program is voluntary.  If the property will not be entered in the DSCA program, it will be referred to other cleanup programs in DEQ such as the Inactive Hazardous Waste Section (IHSB) which do not offer many of the benefits and protections provided by DSCA as shown above.