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VIGO COUNTY
TERRE HAUTE
Congressional District # 08
ELM STREET GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION
EPA ID# INN000509938Last Updated: April, 2009
Site Description
The Elm Street Groundwater Contamination site is located in Terre Haute (Vigo County), Indiana. Surrounding land includes an apartment complex and open/recreational land to the north, commercial and residential property to the east, commercial and industrial property to the south, and the Indiana American Water Company and Wabash River to the west. The site is roughly bounded by Locust Street to the north, North 3rd Street (U.S. Highway 41) to the east, railroad tracks to the south, and the Wabash River to the west. The Elm Street Groundwater Contamination site is approximately 18.5 acres in size.
IDEM has identified three potential source areas through the site assessment process. The potential source areas include (1) the Gurman Container and Supply (Gurman) property located at 800 North 3rd Street, (2) the Ashland (formerly known as BiState Products) property located at 118 Elm Street, and (3) the Machine Tool Service (MTS) property located at 701 North 1st Street. Gurman, Ashland and MTS are Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) in causing the groundwater contamination. Consolidated Recycling owned and operated the Ashland property in the 1990s and is also a PRP.
Site Responsibility
U.S. EPA Region 5 is the lead agency on this site. IDEM is the support agency. The site investigation is currently being conducted with EPA funding.
Threats and Contaminants
In the 1980's some wells in the Elm Street municipal well field were impacted by volatile organic compound contamination. Later, the well field was expanded to include a radial collection system in an uncontaminated area of groundwater, correcting this problem.
In 1988 and 1989, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) conducted Site Screening Investigations (SSIs) at the Gurman, Ashland and MTS properties because they were suspected as potential sources of contamination to groundwater. IDEM collected surface and near sub-surface soil samples during the SSIs. A near surface soil sample near the Gurman reconditioning building contained detections of tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), trans-1,2-dichloroethene (DCE), 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA). One near-surface soil sample collected at the southeastern portion of the Ashland property contained dectections of TCE, and another soil sample collected below surface in the northeastern portion of the Ashland property contained toluene, 1,2-DCE and xylene.
In 1999, IDEM conducted an Expanded Site Investigation (ESI) at the same three facilities. IDEM drilled 12 soil borings and collected soil samples. IDEM also installed and sampled 22 groundwater monitoring wells consisting of a shallow and deep well pair at 11 locations. Detections of carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-TCA, TCE, cis-1,2-DCA, 1,1-DCA, 1,1,2-TCA, 2-butanone, chloroform, toluene and 1,2-DCE(total) were found.
Cleanup Progress
U.S. EPA initially contacted the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) to perform a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) through the Superfund Alternative Site (SAS) process. A remedial investigation is a study of the nature and extent of site contamination; a feasibility study is a study of site cleanup options. The PRPs declined to perform the RI/FS and negotiations were terminated on February 1, 2006.
The site was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) on March 7, 2007. U.S EPA contacted the PRPs again to perform the RI/FS after it was listed on the NPL. An agreement could not be reached and negotiations were terminated on February 22, 2008.
U.S. EPA has a contractor in place to begin the RI. It is anticipated that the RI will commence in late summer to early autumn of 2009.
Aliases
BI-STATE PRODUCTSI GURMAN
MACHINE TOOL SERVICE