Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
ALLEN COUNTY
FORT WAYNE

Congressional District # 3

FORT WAYNE REDUCTION DUMP

EPA ID# IND980679542
Last Updated: April, 2008

Site Description

The Fort Wayne Reduction Dump Superfund Site is located along the south bank of the Maumee River approximately 1.1 miles east of the U.S. Highway 30 and Maumee River intersection, just east of Fort Wayne, Indiana.  The 35 acre site is situated within the 100-year flood plain of the river.  The site is bordered by the Maumee River to the north, the Norfolk and Western Railroad to the south, Dager Auto Parts to the southwest, Martin Landfill to the northwest, and Herber Drain to the east.  The communities of River Haven and Sunnymede Woods are directly east and south approximately 0.5 miles from the site. 

Prior to 1967, the site was uncultivated farmland that may have been used for some limited waste disposal.  The site is believed to have started official operations in 1966 and continued to accept residential and industrial wastes until 1974.  Currently, primary land use in the area of the site is light industrial and commercial.  An abandoned landfill and the Fort Wayne municipal wastewater treatment plant and sludge drying beds are located along the Maumee River in the vicinity of the site.

The site was operated as a recycling center and incinerator from 1967 to 1970 and the residual ashes were disposed of on-site.  In 1970, Fort Wayne Reduction, Inc. changed its name to the National Recycling Corporation and expanded the recycling plant at the site.  The eastern portion of the site (approximately 15 aces) was actively used as an industrial and general refuse landfill.  Portions north and west of the recycling plant were utilized for disposal of industrial wastes, building debris, and barrels of liquid and sludge wastes.  The western portion (approximately 5 acres) was used as a disposal area for industrial wastes, wire waste, and residual ash from the incinerator operations.  A 40- to 60-foot diameter waste disposal cell containing liquids was first reported in a state inspection report from May 1972.  A drum burial cell was located on aerial photographs taken in 1973.

The site ceased accepting wastes in 1974.  From 1974 until late 1977, the site continued to be used as the base for a waste hauling operation and a recycling center.  The recycling center shut down in late 1974, and the hauling operation later moved to a different location.  After that time, the site was inactive.  In 1984, Waste Management (WM) acquired SCA Services, Inc., which was the former owner of the site.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

The site soils were contaminated with a large variety of contaminants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic compounds. Groundwater is contaminated with VOCs and heavy metals.

Cleanup Progress

A Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) including a baseline Risk Assessment, was initiated in August 1986.  The RI concluded that remedial response actions were warranted for site media impacted by past disposal activities.  These media included surface water, soils, and groundwater.  The FS recommended a remedial action alternative for the site, and U.S. EPA signed the Record of Decision (ROD) on August 26, 1988.  The ROD selected a remedy to clean up the site which included: excavating an estimated 4,600 drums and incinerating their contents; constructing a fence around the site; installing a groundwater capture system to collect groundwater and treat it before entering the Maumee River; installing erosion mats and planting vegetation to reduce erosion during river flooding; groundwater monitoring; and deed restrictions on use of the land. Waste Management, the owner/operator of the site, entered into a Consent Decree with U.S. EPA to fund the cleanup work. Construction was started in 1991, with the drum removal occurring in 1993. Over 27,000 drums were removed from the site. Final construction was completed in 1996.

On September 25, 1995, U.S. EPA and the Indiana Deparment of Environmental Management conducted the pre-final inspection at the site.  U.S. EPA determined that the remedy was constructed according the Remedial Design/Remedial Action specifications.  A Preliminary Close Out Report was signed on September 27, 1995.  Operation and Maintenance (O&M) activities have been conducted at the site since completion of construction.  O&M activities include inspection of the landfill cap and analysis of discharge samples and groundwater monitoring.  The first five-year review was completed for the site on July 2, 1999.  The second five-year review was completed on September 29, 2004.  The 2004 report found that the remedy implemented at the site is protective of human health and the environment.  Long-term monitoring at the site will continue, to ensure that the remedy remains protective.  The next five-year review is due in September 2009.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
linda kern (kern.linda@epa.gov)
(312) 886-7341

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
yolanda bouchee
(312) 353-3209

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.