EPA begins five-year review of cleanup plan for the USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago, Indiana
CHICAGO (Feb. 8, 2021) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has begun the first five-year review of the USS Lead Superfund site cleanup in East Chicago, Indiana. EPA will evaluate whether the cleanup continues to be protective of public health and the environment.
Five-year reviews are part of the Superfund process and are generally required when hazardous substances remain on-site above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. During the five-year review, EPA will conduct activities such as community notification, document review, data review and analysis, and site inspections. All findings will be summarized in a report that is scheduled be completed by October 2021.
EPA’s cleanup at the USS Lead site began in 2016 to remove contaminated soil from residential and commercial properties. At the USS Lead site, contamination above EPA standards remains in some areas at depths of at least 2 feet below the surface and under structures such as buildings, sidewalks and roads.
EPA has divided the site into two “operable units.” The five-year review will be conducted on Operable Unit 1, a 322-acre parcel bounded by East Chicago Avenue on the north, East 151st Street on the south, the Indiana Harbor Canal on the west and Parrish Avenue on the east and that has been further subdivided into three zones. EPA will review the soil cleanups completed in part of Zone 1, that includes the former Carrie Gosch School, and in Zones 2 and 3. Because cleanup is pending at the former West Calumet Housing Complex property in Zone 1, it is not part of the current review.
Operable Unit 2 consists of the surface and subsurface of the former USS Lead facility and groundwater beneath the entire site. Because the remedial investigation for this part of the site is currently in progress, it is also not part of the current review.
For more information, please contact the following staff:
- Sarah Rolfes, remedial project manager, EPA Region 5 (SR-6J) 77 W Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, 312-886-6551, rolfes.sarah@epa.gov.
- Janet Pope, community involvement coordinator, EPA Region 5 (RE-19J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, 312-353-0628, pope.janet@epa.gov.
Or visit our website: www.epa.gov/uss-lead-superfund-site.
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