News Releases from Region 05

EPA to hold Aug. 7 open house for Lusher Street Groundwater Contamination Superfund site in Elkhart, Indiana

For Immediate Release: No. 16-OPA078

CHICAGO (August 3, 2017) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will hold an open house on Monday, Aug. 7, to inform residents about environmental work at the Lusher Street Groundwater Contamination Superfund site. Planned activities at the site involve municipal water hook-ups for affected residents and installing vapor mitigation systems to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution. EPA staff will answer questions about access agreements and upcoming work.

The Superfund site sits on a groundwater plume created by releases from multiple manufacturing locations in the area, mostly in the vicinity of Lusher Avenue in Elkhart. In 2008, EPA added the site to the National Priorities List, a list of the worst contaminated sites in the country.

In 2012, EPA conducted vapor intrusion sampling at area homes as part of a long-term environmental investigation. Vapor intrusion describes an environmental problem where underground chemical gases can seep into buildings causing hazardous indoor air pollution. As a precaution, vapor intrusion mitigation systems will be installed at about 200 buildings affected by the groundwater plume. These systems reduce vapors from volatile organic compounds that can build up inside homes and other structures.

EPA will have a Spanish-speaking representative at the meeting.

When:            2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 7, 2017

Where:           Calvary United Methodist Church
                          2222 W. Indiana Ave., Elkhart

For more information, contact Cheryl Allen, EPA community involvement coordinator, at 312-353-6196, allen.cheryl@epa.gov, or visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/lusher-street-groundwater.

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