Elm Street Ground Water Contamination

Overview

The Elm Street Ground Water Contamination site covers 18.5 acres in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found in several municipal water supply wells in the 1980s. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of priority Superfund cleanup sites, in March 2007. Three properties are suspected pollution sources: Gurman Container and Supply at 800 N. Third St., Ashland at 118 Elm St., and Machine Tool Service at 701 N. First St.

EPA identified 30 contaminants of concern at the site. VOCs found in groundwater, soil, and soil gas include tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and carbon tetrachloride. Other contaminants include chlorinated compounds such as 1,1,2-trichloroethane and 1,2-dichloropropane, pesticides including heptachlor and its epoxide, metals such as arsenic, manganese, and thallium, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) including Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene. EPA has determined that unsafe levels of contamination exist and that people could reasonably be exposed through groundwater and polluted soil. The city's drinking water is treated at the water treatment plant to meet safe drinking water standards.

The Remedial Investigation ran from June 2008 through September 2017, and a Feasibility Study was completed in 2017. EPA selected a remedy in September 2017. That remedy includes soil vapor extraction performed in place, institutional controls to limit site use, offsite disposal of contaminated material, and groundwater monitoring. An Administrative Order of Consent was completed in February 2019, followed by a court-approved Consent Decree in November 2023. Four settling defendants, Gurman, Valvoline LLC, Consolidated Recycling, and MTS, signed the decree. Remedial Design was completed in April 2022, and final remedial action began on September 14, 2023.

Physical construction of the cleanup is not yet complete. EPA has determined that groundwater migration is stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water, though monitoring will continue. Cleanup construction is estimated to finish between December 2027 and February 2028, after which a Long-Term Response Action will begin. One on-site business is currently operating as of December 2024.

Community members can review a Community Involvement Plan, a fact sheet about the cleanup plan, and 83 documents in the administrative record through EPA's Superfund database. To discuss the project directly, residents can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator Cheryl Allen or Remedial Project Manager Celine Wysgalla.