Gary Development Landfill

Overview

Gary Development Landfill sits on 62 acres in Gary, Indiana, and operated as a permitted solid waste landfill from about 1975 to 1989. It accepted unauthorized hazardous waste alongside household trash. The site was added to the National Priorities List in September 2011. It lacks proper liners, an engineered cover, and working surface water controls, which has allowed contaminants to spread beyond the landfill boundary.

Hazardous materials found at the site include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, and pesticides. These contaminants have migrated into a nearby freshwater wetland that borders the Grand Calumet River. That wetland is home to state-endangered bird species, including the marsh wren. Groundwater contamination is also being investigated, and whether its migration is stabilized cannot yet be determined. Human exposure cannot yet be confirmed to be under control due to data gaps in the ongoing investigation.

EPA completed an emergency removal action in September 2002, clearing numerous containers of oils, paint, insecticides, antifreeze, and electrical capacitors. In 2014, EPA reached a settlement with roughly 20 responsible parties, requiring them to conduct the site investigation under EPA oversight. A court-issued warrant in 2014 secured site access, and a voluntary access agreement followed in June 2023. In 2015, EPA approved a presumptive remedy approach focused on containment and capping to cut off exposure pathways.

The site is divided into three operable units (OUs). OU2 covers the landfill source area and affected media except groundwater, and its remedial investigation was completed in 2023. OU3 addresses groundwater inside and outside the landfill, and that work is still ongoing. The full remedial investigation and feasibility study for the source area is estimated to finish between September and November 2027, after which EPA will issue a Record of Decision selecting the final cleanup remedy. Institutional controls are already in place, including zoning restrictions that block residential use of the property.

Community members can get involved by reviewing site documents at the Du Bois Public Library at 1835 Broadway in Gary, Indiana, or by contacting EPA staff directly.