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Lake Sandy Jo

Site Information
Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Janet Pope (pope.janet@epa.gov)
312-353-0628 or 800-621-8431, ext. 30628

Remedial Project Manager
Stephanie Linebaugh
(linebaugh.stephanie@epa.gov)
312-353-2315 or 800-621-8431, ext. 32315

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Union City Public Library
408 North Columbia Street
Union City, In
10:00am-7:00pm

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund Frequent Questions

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Background

Lake Sandy Jo is a 50-acre landfill located in a residential section of Gary, Indiana, bordered by Interstate-80/94 to the south. The site is a former water-filled borrow pit that was used as a landfill between 1971-1980. Various wastes, including construction and demolition debris, garbage and industrial wastes, and drums are believed to be buried onsite. Approximately 1,900 people live within three miles of the site.

Site Updates | Latest Update | Technical Documents || Five-Year Reviews

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Site Updates

Latest Update

All work at this site was performed with federal funds. A final cleanup decision was reached in September 1986. The site was fenced to limit access in 1986. Site soils and sediments were covered with clean soil, and the site was reseeded with prairie grasses. This action was completed in 1990. A drinking water line extension was constructed in 1994 that allows for 50 additional connections. Thirty-two locations have connected to the water line extension. In September 1994, U.S. EPA completed a Preliminary Close-out Report (PCOR) indicating that remedial construction at the site was complete.  The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, with U.S. EPA oversight, is currently securing institutional controls, monitoring the groundwater, and maintaining the soil cover.

A five-year review, dated January 18, 1996, which U.S. EPA concurred with on March 26, 1996, concluded that the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.  A second five-year review for the site was completed in September 2001 and confirmed that the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.

The third five-year review for the site was completed in September 2006 and concluded that the site is protective of human health and the environment only in the short term because the required institutional controls had not been implemented. Institutional controls, such as restrictive covenants and groundwater ordinances, are necessary on the landfill property and surrounding areas for the long-term protectiveness of the site. The fourth five-year review for the site was completed in September 2011 and concluded that the site is protective of human health and the environment in the short term. However, additional actions are required to ensure that the Site is protective in the long-term. Once the restrictive covenants and groundwater ordinances are filed, the remedy will be considered protective of human health and the environment in both short-term and long-term. The next five-year review is due in September 2016.

Technical Documents

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Five-Year Reviews

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