Neal's Dump is a small former disposal site in Spencer, Indiana, that accepted industrial waste from 1966 to 1971. Contract haulers dumped electrical capacitors, capacitor parts, and PCB-contaminated rags and sawdust there on behalf of a Westinghouse Electric Corporation plant. The site covers roughly one acre, and a portion includes the backyard of a private residence that remains in use today. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are the contaminant of concern. They were found in surface water, soil, and sediment across the site. PCBs pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment based on the amount present, the way people could be exposed, and the known health effects of contact with them.
Cleanup work happened in stages. In 1983, interim measures went in place, including a clay cap, locked security fencing, and silt fences to limit runoff. The main remedial action ran from October 1998 to March 1999. Workers excavated PCB-contaminated materials, incinerated the capacitors, disposed of waste off-site, backfilled the area with clean fill, and reseeded the ground. Deed restrictions and an environmental restrictive covenant were established to prevent drilling drinking water wells in the former waste area and to block land uses that conflict with the cleanup level achieved.
EPA deleted the site from the NPL in October 1999. Five-year reviews confirm that cleanup actions continue to protect human health and the environment. Human exposure to contamination is under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. All cleanup goals have been met, institutional controls are in place and effective, and the site is considered ready for its anticipated use. Records related to the site are available for public review at Indiana University's Herman B Wells Library in Bloomington.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
