Poer Farm is a 5-acre former storage site about 3 miles north of Wilkinson in Hancock County, Indiana. From 1973 to 1983, owners stored roughly 275 drums of waste solvents and paint resins there, intending to blend the materials into paint. That plan was abandoned, leaving the 55-gallon drums on site. When EPA inspected in 1983, the drums were leaking and damaging surrounding vegetation.
EPA conducted an emergency removal action in the summer of 1983. Workers pulled out all drummed waste and dug up six to eight inches of contaminated soil from the drum storage areas. All solid and liquid waste went to licensed off-site disposal facilities. Follow-up sampling found no significant contamination remaining that could threaten people or the environment.
EPA identified 16 contaminants of concern at the site. Acetone and dichloromethane (also called methylene chloride) turned up in both soil and groundwater. Soil also contained metals and metalloids including arsenic, lead, chromium, zinc, barium, vanadium, and aluminum, plus a plasticizer called bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate. Groundwater contained iron, manganese, and sodium. All contaminants fell under Operable Unit 1, the Site Remediation unit.
The site was added to the National Priorities List in September 1984. EPA selected a "No Further Action" remedy in September 1988, construction was formally completed in August 1989, and the site was deleted from the list in February 1991. The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in June 2006. Human exposure is under control, no unacceptable exposure pathways exist, and all cleanup goals have been met. A portion of the land has since returned to agricultural use for hay production.
Community members who want to learn more can view site records at the Hancock County Health Department, located on the first floor of the courthouse in Greenfield, Indiana. Questions can also be directed to the EPA's Remedial Project Manager.
