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NPL Site Narrative for Ninth Avenue Dump
NINTH AVENUE DUMP
Gary, Indiana
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (December 1982): The Ninth Avenue Dump covers 20 acres in Gary, Indiana, in a flat marsh area that has been partially filled in. Operations started in 1973 and ended in 1980. In 1975, the State documented the presence of an estimated 10,000 55-gallon drums (many of them empty) and found evidence suggesting that liquid wastes had been dumped on-site and allowed to percolate through the sandy soil. A State inspector estimated that 500,000 gallons of liquid industrial waste had been dumped and 1,000 drums buried on-site. Analyses identified the presence of various organic compounds and heavy metals. When operations discontinued in 1980, over 250 deteriorating drums and six old tank trucks remained above ground.
In fall 1980, the Department of Justice, on behalf of EPA, brought a Federal civil action seeking injunctive relief under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act against the owners and operators of the site.
Status (July 1983): EPA and one of the responsible parties have negotiated a plan for site cleanup. Phase I calls for removal of the drums, tank trucks, junk, and grossly contaminated soils. All containerized wastes have been tested and classified, but removal of the remaining drums, trucks, and surface soil has been delayed because of problems in obtaining State permits for disposal. Contaminated surface soil has been scraped into a pile and covered with a plastic sheet.
Phase IIA includes studying subsurface conditions and recommending remedial actions. Various organic compounds have been detected in the shallow aquifer at both the parts-per-million and parts-per-billion ranges. Contamination of drinking water has not been detected at this time. Negotiations for Phase IIA are underway, and the trial is set for October 1983.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.