Cam-Or Inc.

Overview

Cam-Or Inc. is a 15-acre former waste oil collection and re-refining facility near Westville in LaPorte County, Indiana. Operations ran from 1934 until 1987, leaving soil and groundwater contaminated with hazardous chemicals. The site was proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1997 and received final listing in March 1998. It remains on the NPL today.

EPA identified 19 contaminants of concern at the site. Groundwater contamination includes benzene, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, 1,4-dioxane, and dichloromethane, along with heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, antimony, and thallium. Pesticides including chlordane, dieldrin, and p,p'-DDT were also found in groundwater. Lead is the primary contaminant of concern in soil. People and wildlife may face health risks from contact with contaminated soil and groundwater.

EPA launched emergency cleanup in 1987. That work included consolidating PCB-containing oils, treating and discharging 9.5 million gallons of wastewater, collecting 1 million gallons of oil from on-site lagoons and a nearby ditch, closing and backfilling eight lagoons, and installing groundwater monitoring wells. A final long-term remedy was selected in June 2008. It calls for a soil containment system, a groundwater pump-and-treat system, light non-aqueous phase liquid remediation, monitoring, and institutional controls. Remedial action began in October 2015, with a final phase starting in March 2022. Construction is estimated to finish between September and November 2027. Cleanup is being carried out through federal and state actions along with work by potentially responsible parties, and EPA is currently reviewing design plans submitted by those parties.

Human exposure control is listed as having insufficient data, meaning response work has not yet produced reliable information to confirm whether people could currently be exposed to unsafe contamination levels. Groundwater migration is not under control, meaning contaminated groundwater has not been stabilized. Physical construction is not yet complete. The most recent five-year review was completed on February 3, 2026.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.