Southside Sanitary Landfill

Overview

Southside Sanitary Landfill sits on more than 300 acres in Indianapolis, Indiana. It began operating as a solid waste facility in 1971 and was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1989 after groundwater contamination was discovered. An estimated four million cubic yards of waste were buried there, including coal tar, asbestos, iron oxide, clarifier sludges, and paint waste. That waste contaminated soil and groundwater with heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and nickel, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in on-site soils.

The cleanup focused on keeping contamination from spreading. A slurry wall acts as a hydraulic cutoff barrier, and a leachate collection system captures liquid before it can leave the site. The landfill continues to operate under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit monitored by the State of Indiana. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions, prevent land uses that would be incompatible with the cleanup level and reduce the chance of people coming into contact with contaminated materials.

EPA removed the site from the National Priorities List in 1997 after construction of the cleanup remedy was finished. Five-year reviews were completed in 2000 and 2005 to confirm the remedy remained protective. By 2011 the site achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status. EPA has determined that human exposure is under control and that groundwater contamination is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA also determined that additional five-year reviews are not warranted at this time.

The site now supports several productive uses. A methane-powered greenhouse captures more than 2.2 million cubic feet of landfill gas daily and uses it as its sole energy source. A nearby aircraft engine plant also draws methane from the site, which reduces its nitrogen oxide emissions. A nine-hole golf course opened on the property in 1999, and land was donated to the Indianapolis School Board in 2003 for environmental education programs. As of December 2024, one on-site business employed 25 people and generated roughly $12.9 million in annual sales revenue.

Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available through EPA's CERCLIS database.