xvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Public meeting
EPA, IDEM and city of Elkhart
officials are holding a public
information session about the
ground-water pollution in and
around Lane Street on Wednesday,
Oct. 15, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Osolo
Elementary School, 24975 CR 6
E., Elkhart.
At the meeting EPA, IDEM and city
officials will give presentations and
then answer questions about the
situation. Officials also want to
collect signed access agreements so
the water hookups can be done and
the private wells safely closed. City
of Elkhart officials also want eligible
residents to sign a "compact"
agreement before work proceeds.
Residents who cannot attend the
meeting should make arrangements
by contacting Linda Weaver with the
Elkhart Public Works Utilities at
574-293-2572.
The water connections will be made
at no charge but property owners
must sign the access and compact
agreements.
See the back page for contact
information of the EPA, other
federal, state and local officials
dealing with the TCE pollution
issue.
Water Line Hookups Offered to
Contaminated Well Users
Lane Street Investigation Site
Elkhart, Indiana
October 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its state and local partners are
offering water hookups at no charge to residents of the Lane Street area whose
private drinking wells are contaminated or threatened by pollution.
Underground water supplies - called "ground water" in environmental terms
- in the area were contaminated by a hazardous chemical called
trichloroethylene or TCE. EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental
Management are looking for the source of the TCE, which is a colorless liquid
used as an industrial solvent.
IDEM and the Elkhart County Health Department last year discovered highly
elevated TCE levels in a sample taken from a private well along Lane Street.
Other samples confirmed wells at around 30 residences in the area were
affected or threatened by the moving mass or "plume"of tainted ground water.
Since the discovery of the pollution, affected residents have been given water
filtration systems or provided bottled water.
Affected residents are eligible for watake lakeshore drive to reoosevelt, rter
line connections at no charge provided they sign two legal documents. One is
an access agreement from EPA allowing workers to install the water hookups
and close and plug the private wells. The other document is called a
"compact" with the city of Elkhart. In return for the no-charge water
connections, homeowners who sign the compact agree not to protest any
future attempt by the city to annex the neighborhood.While the city will waive
the normal connection fees, residents are still responsible for their monthly
water bills.
It is anticipated water line work will start the week of Oct. 20 and be
completed in early December. EPA, state and local officials plan to brief
people about the situation at a public information meeting Wednesday, Oct.
15 (see box at left for more information about the meeting).
Once EPA and IDEM discover the TCE source the agencies can begin
working on a long-term plan to clean up the underground water supplies. In
the meantime, the municipal water connections will protect people from
exposure to the hazardous chemical through drinking water. TCE trapped in
the ground water can also evaporate and give off vapors that rise through the
soil and seep through foundation cracks. This problem is called "vapor
intrusion." Environmental officials at some point in the future may also check
homes for indoor air pollution caused by TCE vapors.
EPA and IDEM have extensive experience dealing with these kinds of
environmental issues and solutions in highly industrialized Northwest Indiana.
EPA needs the cooperation of Lane Street neighborhood homeowners in
signing the legal documents so the Agency can proceed with the water
hookups. That will stop any chance of exposure to the contamination through
drinking water.
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Contact information for Lane Street Site Investigation
EPA contacts
Kenneth Theisen
On-Scene Coordinator
Superfund Division
EPA Region 5
312-886-1959
theisen.kenneth@epa.gov
Janet Pope
Community Involvement
Coordinator
EPA Region 5
Superfund Division
312-353-0628
pope j anet@epa.gov
Region 5 toll-free:
800-621-8431, 9:30 a.m.
- 5:30 p.m., weekdays
Region 5 address:
EPA Region 5
Chicago, IL 60604
IDEM contacts
Mark Jaworski
Site Investigations Section
(sampling results)
317-233-2407
mj aworsk@idem. IN .gov
Amy Hartsock
Public Information Officer
317-233-4927
ahartsoc@idem.IN.gov
IDEM toll free:
800-451-6027
City of Elkhart contact
City Engineering Dept.
(compact information)
574-293-2572
Health-related contacts
Clayton Koher
Regional Representative
(federal) Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry
800-621-8431, Ext. 3-6086
ckoher@cdc .gov
John Hulewicz
Elkhart County Health Department
Environmental Services Division
574-875-3391
j hule wicz@elkhartcounty. com
Web sites
IDEM Site Investigations
http://www.in.gOv/idem/4143 .htm
Indiana Department of Health
http://www.in.gov/isdh/18878.htm
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry
http: //www .atsdr. cdc .gov/toxfaq .html
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