EPA provides funds for cleaning up the contaminated site in Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana – A new cleanup effort at the Indianapolis Keystone Corridor Ground Water Contamination site will soon get underway thanks to money provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency on Friday.

The site, which is close to the intersection of East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive and Keystone Avenue, is one of 22 Superfund sites that will get a combined $1 billion in financing for new cleanup initiatives as well as the expansion of more than 100 other existing cleanups across the nation. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of the Biden administration, according to the EPA, provided the cash.

According to the EPA, the property includes the Fall Creek well field and potential sources of groundwater contamination. According to the government, a 4,500-foot-long by a 1,500-foot-wide plume (or subterranean mass) containing high amounts of volatile organic chemicals commonly employed by dry cleaners and metalworking companies has contaminated groundwater. According to the EPA, the plume is made up of chlorinated organic compounds (CVOCs), such as vinyl chloride, cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE), which is a breakdown product of PCE and TCE, tetrachloroethene (PCE), and trichloroethene (TCE).

The organization said that a number of site cleanup milestones, such as the installation of vapor intrusion mitigation equipment, have already been accomplished through federal and state measures. Applying energy (heat or steam) underground to mobilize, evaporate, trap, and treat the contaminants is the EPA’s chosen solution for a particular area of the site.

The following statement was made by the EPA regarding Superfund sites:

“Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed, including in manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills, and mining sites. Superfund cleanups help transform contaminated properties and create jobs in overburdened communities, while repurposing these sites for a wide range of uses, including public parks, retail businesses, office space, residences, warehouses, and solar power generation. In addition, these sites can support natural areas, parks, and recreation facilities, providing greenspace and safe places for families to play outside.”

In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a total of $3.5 billion was allotted for Superfund cleanup efforts. The EPA allocated more than $1 billion for cleanup efforts at more than 100 Superfund National Priorities List sites around the nation in the first wave of funding, which was announced in December 2021. According to the EPA, 81 new cleaning projects—including ones at 44 sites that had been on the backlog—were launched in 2022.