EPA Begins Contaminated Soil Removal at the Former Roundhouse Site in Elkhart, Indiana
Residents may see increased truck traffic around the site
CHICAGO (August 20, 2024) - This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began removal of asbestos, lead, and arsenic at the former roundhouse site at 613 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Elkhart, Indiana. The EPA estimates the cleanup will take two months and cost more than $2.5 million.
Excavated areas will be backfilled using clean soil to restore the surfaces. The contaminated material will be transported off-site to permitted landfills.
Fencing has been installed at the site and the EPA is requiring measures to control dust, prevent run-off and monitor air quality to ensure public and worker safety during the cleanup. Residents can expect more truck traffic around the site.
The site consists of two lots. Lot 1 was residential and commercial area from the 1890s through the late 1970s. Lot 2 contained two roundhouses: a smaller, passenger engine roundhouse to the north and a larger, freight engine roundhouse to the south. The roundhouses operated from around 1905 through the late 1950s when they were demolished. In addition to supporting turn-around, repair, and locomotive storage, a repair shop, blacksmith, oil house, oil tank, and coaling station were located in and around the roundhouses.
In 1983, all buildings and the site were acquired by the city of Elkhart from a bankrupt railroad corporation and remains undeveloped.
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