News Releases from Region 05
EPA Proposes Removing a Portion of Fort Wayne Reduction Dump from Superfund List
For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-061
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (July 16, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened a 30-day public comment period on its proposal to delete the capped landfill portion of the Fort Wayne Reduction Dump Superfund Site from the National Priorities List (NPL). The agency has determined that the required cleanup is complete in this area and no further action is necessary.
"This administration continues to make good on its promise to pick up the pace of Superfund cleanups so these sites can be restored to productive use," said EPA Regional Administrator Kurt Thiede. "Promoting redevelopment is part of EPA's core mission and helps spur the local economy and create jobs in communities near Superfund sites."
The 35-acre former hazardous waste landfill site is located along the banks of the Maumee River. Soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and heavy metals.
EPA’s cleanup involved digging up thousands of drums containing waste, capping the entire landfill area, installing a system to capture and treat groundwater before it enters the Maumee River, monitoring groundwater and placing deed restrictions on land use.
EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have not fully determined that the groundwater, which is designated as Operable Unit 3, has met final cleanup goals. Therefore, that portion of the site will remain on the NPL and is not being considered for deletion as part of this action.
The NPL tracks the nation’s most contaminated sites that threaten human health or the environment. Sites on the list are eligible for cleanup under the Superfund program. EPA removes sites or parts of sites from the list once all the remedies are successfully implemented and no further cleanup, other than operation and maintenance, monitoring and five-year reviews, is required.
Today’s proposed deletion is a result of EPA’s continued focus to finish the job at Superfund sites. Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA has increased the number of sites and properties deleted from the NPL.
For example, EPA deleted all or part of 27 sites from the NPL in FY 2019, the largest number of deletions in one year since 2001. While the site work on Superfund sites spans administrations, the Trump Administration is prioritizing both cleanup progress and cleanup completion. Deletions from the NPL are important because it announces to communities and signals to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup in the deleted area is complete.
The public may submit comments until Aug. 17, 2020.
Email: cibulskis.karen@epa.gov
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-SFUND-1986-0005-0366
For more information: www.epa.gov/superfund/fort-wayne-dump
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Francisco Arcaute, U.S. EPA
312-886-7613, 312-898-2042 cell, arcaute.francisco@epa.gov