Fort Wayne Reduction Dump

Overview

Fort Wayne Reduction Dump is a 35-acre site along the Maumee River in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It operated as a residential and industrial landfill from 1966 to 1974, accepting hazardous wastes. EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986. A partial deletion from the NPL occurred in September 2020, but the site has not been fully removed from the list.

Contaminants in the soil include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenol, cyanide, and several phenolic compounds. Groundwater is contaminated with VOCs and heavy metals. Both soil and groundwater are affected across the site.

Cleanup began in 1990 under a consent decree, with Waste Management Inc. funding the work. Over 27,000 drums were removed in 1993, and construction finished by 1995. Workers installed a landfill soil cover on the eastern portion and a geotextile wall, bio-polymer collection trench, vertical barrier, and groundwater collection and treatment system on the western portion. Institutional controls restrict future land use and groundwater use to prevent exposure. The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in September 2009.

The site is now in the Operations and Maintenance Phase. EPA completed its sixth five-year review in July 2024. The review found the remedy protects human health and the environment in the short term. However, EPA requires additional monitoring to determine whether dense liquid contamination is present, confirm the slurry wall is preventing contaminant migration, and sample for emerging contaminants including PFAS compounds and 1,4-dioxane. Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2029.

Community members can review site records at the Allen County Library, located at 900 Library Plaza in Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802. For community involvement questions, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. For technical questions, contact the Remedial Project Manager.