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EPA proposes Terre Haute, Ind., site for Superfund National Priorities List

Release Date: 09/27/2006
Contact Information: Mick Hans, (312) 353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov Anne Rowan, (312) 353-9391, rowan.anne@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 06-OPA 169

CHICAGO (Sept. 26, 2006) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the Elm Street Ground Water Contamination site, in Terre Haute, Ind., for addition to the Superfund National Priorities List. Sites on the NPL are eligible for additional study and resources under EPA's Superfund program.

Nationally, five new sites were added to the NPL, bringing the total to 1,246, and six sites were proposed for addition to the list. (Under the NPL process, sites are first proposed and public comments considered, before a determination is made to formally add a site to the list.) Two of the proposed sites are in EPA Region 5: the Elm Street site and the South Minneapolis Residential Soil Contamination site, in Minneapolis, Minn. The ASARCO Taylor Springs site, Taylor Springs, Ill., was among the six sites added to the NPL.

The Elm Street site encompasses a plume of ground water contamination beneath two properties in west central Terre Haute: I. Gurman and Sons, a drum recycler at 800 N. Third St., and Bi-State Products, which operated at 118 Elm St., first as a petroleum storage facility and then as a used oil storage business. Bi-State Products is now vacant.

The underground plume, containing the common industrial solvents tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), has been detected in an area near the Terre Haute municipal drinking water well field. At

present, there is no indication of PCE or TCE concentrations in the drinking water above regulatory levels. The municipal water supplier is currently blending and treating the water with water from other wells to ensure safety.

A 60-day comment period on the proposed addition of the Elm Street site will begin once official notice appears in the Federal Register. Comments may be e-mailed to http://www.superfund.docket@epa.gov. Information on submitting comments by regular or express mail and background on the NPL process is at www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm.

With the proposal of the six new sites, there are 61 proposed sites awaiting final agency action including five federal facilities. Altogether there are 1,307 final and proposed sites. Cleanup construction has been completed at 978 sites.