The Garden City Ground Water Plume site sits in Garden City, Indiana, where groundwater beneath a roughly 3.4-acre area became contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a chlorinated solvent linked to cancer and other health hazards. The source of the TCE has not been identified. About 50 residents, including people in a mobile home park and nearby businesses, rely on private groundwater wells in the area. TCE has been detected at levels sometimes exceeding drinking water standards since 1990.
The site was assessed in 2006 and added to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of priority Superfund sites, in December 2013. A remedial investigation and feasibility study ran from September 2014 through September 2018. EPA signed a Record of Decision in September 2018 selecting three cleanup approaches for the one operable unit at the site. Those approaches are permanent wellhead treatment at affected homes and businesses, institutional controls such as deed restrictions, and monitored natural attenuation, which lets contamination break down naturally over time while being tracked. The estimated cleanup cost is $320,000. Remedial design finished in November 2019, and the physical cleanup work ran from March 2021 through February 2022.
Human exposure is currently under control. EPA determined that no unacceptable exposure pathways exist. Groundwater migration is also under control, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated use status in September 2021, and all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met. Required land-use restrictions and other controls are in place. Long-term response action, which includes ongoing groundwater monitoring to track TCE levels and confirm the plume stays within its original area, began in February 2022 and continues.
Community members who want to learn more or get involved can contact EPA staff directly. Site documents and the Record of Decision are also available in the administrative record and at the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. The EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program is working with the community to support productive reuse of the area.
