Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
ELKHART COUNTY
ELKHART

Congressional District # 2

MAIN STREET WELL FIELD

EPA ID# IND980794358
Last Updated: February, 2007

Site Description

The Main Street Well Field site consists of 15 wells on 10 acres of land in Elkhart, Indiana. It is the largest of the three well fields owned by the city of Elkhart. It supplies approximately 70 percent of the drinking water for the 40,000 residents of Elkhart. 

Site Responsibility

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

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater contamination was found in 1981, during an United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) National Groundwater Supply Survey. The well field was found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE). 

Cleanup Progress

In April 1985, U.S. EPA, using fund dollars, began a phased study to deal with the groundwater contamination. The interim decision to construct an air stripper was made in 1985 to provide a safe drinking water supply. U.S. EPA completed construction of the air stripper in 1987.  Based on further study by U.S. EPA, an Administrative Order was issued in January 1992 to the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to do additional work at the site. The PRPs include: Duracol, Excel, Nibco Inc. and others. Construction, completed in 1995, includes a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system, located east of the well field, and 10 inch interceptor and monitoring wells along the west side of the well field.

Approximately 2,300 pounds of TCE have been removed by the SVE system since start up. Operation of the SVE system terminated after the remedial action goals for the soil were achieved. The second five-year review for the site was conducted on September 30, 2002. The PRPs submitted a proposal for a revised groundwater monitoring program in January 2003.

After reviewing the proposed revised groundwater monitoring program, U.S. EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management met with the PRPs. The PRPs agreed to make changes and resubmitted the revised plan for approval. 

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
lolita hill (hill.lolita@epa.gov)
(312) 353-1621

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
stuart hill
(312) 886-0689

Aliases

ELKHART MAIN STREET WELLFIELD

 

Site Profile Information

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