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EPA proposes Elkhart, Ind., site for Superfund National Priorities List

Release Date: 09/19/2007
Contact Information: Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, [email protected] (IDEM) Amy Hartsock, 317-233-4927

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 07-OPA158

CHICAGO (Sept. 19, 2007) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the Lusher Street Ground Water Contamination site in Elkhart, Ind., for addition to the Superfund National Priorities List. A 60-day public comment period is now under way.

The Lusher site is an underground plume of industrial solvents, including TCE (trichloroethylene). The plume area is bordered to the north by the St. Joseph River, to the west by Nappanee Street, to the south by Hively Avenue, and to the east by Oakland Avenue. Recent data indicates the plume may be moving northward toward the river. Currently, no area residents are believed to be using drinking water impacted by the contamination. In 1987 and 2006, EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management provided alternate water supplies to area residents but did not take steps to remove the source-which has not yet been identified. Further investigation is needed to determine the scope of contamination and the source of the plume, as well as possible cleanup options.If the site is added to the NPL, it will be eligible for additional study and cleanup resources.

Two sites in EPA Region 5 were added to the NPL today, the Eagle Zinc site in Hillsboro, Ill., and the South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination site in Minneapolis, Minn. A second Region 5 site was proposed for addition to the NPL: East Troy Contaminated Aquifer, in Troy, Ohio.

Nationally, seven new hazardous waste sites were added to the NPL, with 12 sites proposed for addition to the list. To date, there have been 1,569 sites listed on the NPL. Of these, 320 sites have been deleted from the list, resulting in 1,249 sites currently on the NPL. Cleanup construction has been completed at 1,017 sites. There are now 66 proposed sites awaiting final agency action.

Links to the Federal Register notice, information on submitting comments, background on the NPL process and summaries of the sites newly added or proposed are at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm.