EPA Begins Lead Cleanup at Former Stout Storage Battery Site in Muncie, Indiana
CHICAGO (November 12, 2026) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a cleanup of lead-contaminated soil from the former Stout Storage Battery site at 3005 W. 8th St. and two residential properties in Muncie, Indiana. The cleanup is expected to be complete by spring.
During the cleanup, EPA will secure the site with a fence and excavate lead-contaminated soil and dispose at an EPA-approved facility. Crews will backfill excavated areas with clean soil and restore landscaping and grass. EPA will conduct air monitoring throughout the cleanup to ensure dust does not leave the site.
From 1968 through 1984, the Stout Storage Battery Corp. manufactured automotive lead-acid batteries at the site. Stout charged lead-acid batteries in a sulfuric acid bath and rinsed the batteries with water. Stout discharged this rinse water into unlicensed and unlined impoundments onsite, contaminating soil with lead.
The Indiana Brownfields Program discovered the contamination after sampling the site in 2023 through early 2025. The state referred the site to EPA for further assessment and removal. EPA sampled the site and nine residential properties in the surrounding area, confirming lead contamination in the soil at the site and two residential properties.
For more information about the response, visit the Stout Storage Battery removal website.
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