North Shore Drive

Overview

The North Shore Drive site covers roughly 70 acres near the St. Joseph River in Elkhart, Indiana. It includes 47 residences and several commercial buildings. Contamination was first discovered in 1996 after a resident reported skin irritation from private well water. Testing found volatile organic compounds (VOCs), specifically tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and dichloroethylene, in residential wells. Five homes had levels exceeding Safe Drinking Water Act limits. The source of the contamination has not been determined, though investigations have identified some potential sources.

The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2014. The NPL is the EPA's list of contaminated sites that qualify for long-term cleanup funding and oversight. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) began in July 2017. Since then, the EPA has sampled 43 residential properties, tested soil and groundwater, and conducted a vapor intrusion study. That study looked at whether contaminants were entering homes through soil gas and groundwater pathways. Currently, 12 sampled residential wells are contaminated, and five exceed maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), which are the legal limits for drinking water safety.

The public health risks at this site include drinking contaminated groundwater and inhaling vapors from the shallow groundwater aquifer. The site currently has insufficient data to confirm whether human exposure is under control or whether the contaminated groundwater has stopped spreading. Physical cleanup construction has not yet begun, and the site is not ready for its anticipated use.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) provides point-of-use carbon filters to affected homes where contamination is approaching or exceeding safe limits. The EPA is continuing the remedial investigation with additional soil, water, and vapor sampling planned. The RI/FS is estimated to finish between December 2026 and February 2027. After that, the EPA plans to select a cleanup remedy between March and May 2027. Remedial design work would then run through roughly March to May 2028.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.