USS Lead Superfund Site

End of Comment Period for Agreements on Zone 1

On June 3, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ended a 30-day public comment period on two proposed agreements and a draft document concerning the cleanup of the former West Calumet Housing Complex property in Zone 1 of the USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago, Indiana. EPA is currently reviewing comments received, and will issue a response to those comments and questions raised during the comment period in a document called “Responsiveness Summary.” This summary will be publicly available as soon as it’s finalized.

EPA received comments on a prospective purchaser agreement, or PPA. The PPA requires Industrial Development Advantage, the buyer of the former housing complex property, to clean up the property in a way that meets EPA requirements. EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will oversee the cleanup.

EPA also received comments on an administrative settlement agreement and order on consent, or ASAOC. The ASAOC requires parties potentially responsible for the contamination to provide financial assurance for the Zone 1 cleanup and reimburse EPA for $18 million in past cleanup costs primarily associated with Zone 3.  

In addition, EPA accepted comments on an explanation of significant differences, or ESD. The ESD document confirms that certain conditions have been met and the former housing complex property will be cleaned up to EPA-specified industrial standards. The property has been rezoned by the City of East Chicago as industrial and will soon be purchased by an industrial developer. The draft ESD will be finalized when the buyer obtains the title to the former housing complex property. Work is expected to begin shortly thereafter.

The proposed agreements, draft ESD and a fact sheet that explains the documents are available at the following links:

• U.S. EPA Fact Sheet: EPA Seeks Comments on Agreements on Zone 1 (PDF) (2 pp, 193.78 KB)
• (En Español) Hoja Informativa de US EPA: La EPA Propone Acuerdos Administrativos, Zona 1 (PDF) (2 pp, 159.99 KB)
• Proposed ASAOC: Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent for Payment of Certain Operable Unit 1 Response Costs and for Providing Financial Assurance Associated with Prospective Purchaser Agreement for Remedial Design and Remedial Action at Modified Zone 1 (PDF) (59 pp, 5.59 MB)
• Proposed PPA: Administrative Settlement Agreement for Remedial Action By Prospective Purchaser (PDF) (75 pp, 4.72 MB)
• Draft ESD: Second Explanation Of Significant Differences - USS Lead Superfund Site Zone 1 - Draft For Public Comment Purposes (PDF)(13 pp, 802.45 KB)

EPA held a public meeting on May 21, 2022 to discuss the proposed administrative settlements and the ESD. A presentation was followed by a Q&A session, and ended with a hearing for public comments. The presentation slides, and a transcript of the public meeting are available at the links below:

•    Presentation Slides - USS Lead Superfund Site Zone 1 – May 21, 2022 Public Meeting/Hearing (PDF) (32 pp, 4.02 MB)
•    Transcript – USS Lead Public Meeting On Zone 1 Agreements - May 21, 2022 (PDF) (104 pp, 320.95 KB)

The Responsiveness Summary will be publicly available on this website and on the information repositories.