EPA RCRA ID: IND000806836
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Rolls-Royce conducted a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) at Plants 5 and 8 between October 2001 and April 2003. The RFI included soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, borehole water, and biota sampling. A total of 42 Areas of Interest, commonly referred to as AOIs or areas, were investigated to determine whether any significant release of materials that are hazardous to the environment had occurred. Based on the results of the initial phase of the RFI field effort, Rolls-Royce conducted three additional phases of field investigation to fully characterize the nature and extent of the releases identified. Constituents detected above relevant soil and/or groundwater screening criteria included a variety of chlorinated volatile organic compounds, or CVOCs; petroleum hydrocarbons and metals were also reported in facility soil and groundwater. The investigation also determined that CVOC contamination was migrating off-site to the east and south in groundwater.
Short-term measures have been completed in several areas of the facility to remove and control sources of contamination. Air sparging and soil vapor extraction systems were operated at eight areas to reduce the CVOC mass in soil and groundwater within the upper sand and gravel unit. Soil was also excavated in the former underground storage tanks area to address a release of mercury. As a result, approximately 100 tons of excavated soil was disposed at an off-site landfill.
In April 2019, soil gas sampling in the southwest area of the facility and in an adjacent residential neighborhood confirmed that trichloroethene (“TCE”) and tetrachloroethene (“PCE”) were present in soil gas. At that time, the contaminants were detected at levels below the risk-based screening criteria for those compounds and EPA concluded that there were no potentially significant vapor intrusion exposures to residents in the neighborhood south of the facility. Rolls-Royce conducted additional soil gas sampling from 2020 through 2024 to monitor conditions in the neighborhood and further evaluate potential risk at the facility. The results of this more recent sampling show the potential for vapor intrusion now exists in the neighborhood and at the facility. Rolls-Royce will continue to collect samples both at the facility and off-site to monitor conditions and determine if any additional action is needed.
Rolls-Royce is conducting ongoing monitoring of groundwater and has conducted additional investigations under oversight from the EPA. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals used in fire suppression and plating operations, were identified during 2020 sampling in on-site groundwater. The impacts are limited to the facility and Rolls-Royce will conduct additional sampling to monitor their presence and extent. Rolls-Royce conducted sampling of off-site water production wells in 2024 and identified vinyl chloride in one well. Additional evaluation and delineation of the extent of these impacts is planned for 2025.
The EPA issued a Statement of Basis on November 16, 2020 explaining the proposed remedy for contaminated soil and groundwater as part of its public participation responsibilities under RCRA. The EPA is evaluating whether to make any changes to the proposed remedy based on comments received during the public comment period and additional information gathered since the Statement of Basis was issued. The EPA may select a final remedy that modifies the proposed remedy or select another remedy based on this information.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
The Rolls-Royce facility is a turbine engine manufacturing facility located on two industrial properties in Indianapolis: Plant 5 and Plant 8. Plant 5 was constructed in 1942 to produce aircraft engines and was originally owned by the Defense Plant Corporation. GM purchased the plant in 1966 and subsequently sold the plant in 1993 to AEC Acquisition Corporation. A wide range of turbine engine-related production processes have been performed at Plant 5 including metal fabrication, machining, heat treating, electroplating, engine testing and assembly. GM constructed Plant 8 in 1953 for turbine engine research and development. The processes conducted at Plant 8 were similar to those performed at Plant 5. Rolls-Royce North America purchased the plants in 1995 and currently owns and operates the facilities to produce turbine engines for commercial and military aircraft. Manufacturing processes are performed at Plant 5. Plant 8 is used for research and development.
In 1999, GM obtained ownership from Rolls-Royce of a closed hazardous waste surface impoundment to facilitate post-closure care. The surface impoundment is classified as a landfill for permitting purposes. In 1999, GM submitted the post-closure permit application to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, commonly referred to as IDEM. IDEM issued a post-closure permit for the Facility on June 29, 2001, and a subsequent draft permit on October 27, 2006. Due to the GM bankruptcy in 2009, the surface impoundment became the property of the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust, which was formed in 2011 to manage environmental assets from the GM bankruptcy. RACER Trust maintains responsibility for the post-closure maintenance of the surface impoundment.
Additional Information
The Rolls-Royce facility is a turbine engine manufacturing facility that is located on two industrial properties in Indianapolis: Plant 5 and Plant 8. The EPA issued a Statement of Basis on November 16, 2020 explaining the agency’s proposed remedy to address contaminated soil and groundwater as part of its public participation responsibilities under RCRA. The EPA is evaluating whether to make any changes to the proposed remedy based on comments received during the public comment period and additional information gathered since the Statement of Basis was issued.
Contaminants at this Facility
The primary chemicals of concern (COCs) in soil and groundwater are tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or PCE, and trichloroethene, or TCE, from past degreasing operations. Other chlorinated volatile organic compounds, or CVOCs, including 1,1,1-trichloroethane; 1,1,2- trichloroethane; carbon tetrachloride; 1,2-dichloroethane; 1,1-dichloroethene; 1,2-dichloroethene; 1,3-dichloropropene; methylene chloride; 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane; vinyl chloride; and 1,2,3-trichloropropane have been detected above screening criteria at the facility. Petroleum hydrocarbons and metals were also reported in facility soil and groundwater.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Existing institutional controls prohibit use of portions of the facility for residential purposes. The EPA’s proposed remedy includes imposing new institutional controls on the property that will prohibit potable use of groundwater at the facility, require evaluation of new groundwater use that is different from current use to confirm that the new use will not result in a significant exposure, prevent excavation or extraction of contaminated soil or groundwater without implementing proper waste handling procedures, prohibit residential use of the entire facility, and require vapor intrusion be addressed in affected on-site buildings or new construction.
The proposed remedy also requires the facility to perform groundwater monitoring under an approved Monitoring Plan. Groundwater monitoring data will be used to track remaining concentrations of hazardous materials and confirm they do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. The EPA is evaluating other potential institutional controls to ensure future exposure is prevented in affected areas.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
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Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the EPA’s oversight with support from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- Rolls-Royce VI Fact Sheet February 2025 (pdf)
- Vapor Intrusion Investigation Factsheet, August 2021
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
- Statement of Basis
Contacts for this Facility
Jennifer Stanhope
Stanhope.Jennifer@epa.gov
(312)-886-0681
Shilpa Patel
Patel.Shilpa@epa.gov
(312)-886-0120
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.