*>EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Public participation

The EPA invites you to comment on
the proposed Natural Area cleanup
plan between Aug. 13 and Sept. 12.
If there is enough interest, EPA will
also hold a public meeting to present
the proposed plan, answer questions
and accept oral comments.

After considering all public
comments, EPA will select a final
cleanup plan. The Agency will
publish a document called a "Final
Decision and Response to
Comments," which will include a
summary of comments and EPA's
responses.

To file a written comment or ask for
more information, contact:

Jennifer Dodds

Project Manager

Corrective Action Section (LU-9J)

EPA Region 5

77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604-3590

312-886-1484

dodds.jennifer@epa.gov

You may call the EPA toll-free at
800-621-8431, weekdays,
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information

You may see site-related documents
at the East Chicago Public Library's
Pastrick Branch, 1008 W. Chicago
Ave., and at the EPA's regional
office, 7th Floor Records Center, 77
W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, or visit
www.epa.gov/Region5/waste/permit
s/actions.htm.

EPA Proposes Cleanup for
Natural Area at DuPont

DuPont Facility

East Chicago, Indiana	August 2014

Under a proposed cleanup plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency would clean up metal-contaminated soil while ensuring the
protection and continued long-term stewardship and conservation of the
172-acre Natural Area in the eastern portion of the DuPont Facility site.
DuPont gave the Natural Area to the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources as a conservation easement. The Nature Conservancy has
managed the area since 1999. It is home to many rare, threatened or
endangered plant and wildlife species.

DuPont found that releases from its former industrial property had
contaminated western portions of the Natural Area. To immediately
protect the Natural Area and improve the quality of its unique habitat, the
company did an interim cleanup in the fall of 2012. DuPont dug up and
removed about 77,000 cubic yards of soil with high concentrations of
metals - mostly lead, arsenic and zinc - from 20 acres of the adjacent
Buffer Zone and a small portion of the Natural Area, and stockpiled it on
their contaminated industrial property.

The 23-acre Buffer Zone, just west of the Natural Area, has been affected
by releases from the former industrial portion of the site. DuPont's
investigations found that surface soil concentrations of metals such as
antimony, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc were above levels
established to protect human health and the environment.

EPA's proposed plan would clean up remaining contamination and deal
with the stockpiled soil from the interim cleanup. It would be done under
the legal authority of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act. RCRA requires public participation in the cleanup process, so EPA
has set a public comment period (see box, left). This fact sheet provides
background on the site and describes the proposed cleanup plan. The full
plan is available at the East Chicago Public Library's Pastrick Branch.

Proposed cleanup plan

High concentrations of metals in Natural Area and Buffer Zone soil may
adversely affect animals and birds such as shrews, mice, sparrows, robins
and hawks.

However, the work necessary to clean up the contamination could have a
significant detrimental effect on rare, threatened or endangered plant and
wildlife species, and on habitat restoration being performed by The Nature
Conservancy. EPA considered these unacceptable effects in developing a
balanced approach to the cleanup.

The proposed cleanup plan consists of:

• Permanent disposal of about 77,000 cubic yards of metal-
contaminated soil from the interim cleanup, stored in the onsite
solid waste landfill area.

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•	Proper construction and long-term monitoring of
the contaminated soil disposal area.

•	Monitoring of the wetland swales.

•	Additional measures to protect the Natural Area
if monitoring shows continued effects.

•	Installation of fencing to separate the Natural
Area from the contaminated industrial area.

•	Groundwater monitoring for metals.

•	An environmental covenant to restrict site
activities.

•	About $8 million in financial assurance by
DuPont to ensure completion of the cleanup.

•	Voluntary funding by DuPont through 2017 for
habitat restoration activities by The Nature
Conservancy.

Site history

The DuPont facility is at 5215 Kennedy Ave. The
Natural Area and Buffer Zone make up the 195-acre
eastern portion of the facility. An industrial area along
Gar}' and Cline Avenues roughly forms the eastern and
northern boundary, the Grand Calumet River is the
southern boundary and the former DuPont

manufacturing area is the western boundary. The area
near the Natural Area and Buffer Zone is mostly industrial
with a residential area - East Chicago's Riley Park
community - to the northwest.

The Natural Area is an undeveloped tract of original
lakeplain/dunes land with alternating dry sand ridges and
wet organic swales.

The entire DuPont facility consists of the Natural Area
and adjacent Buffer Zone, plus 29 acres leased for active
industrial use, 30 acres of solid waste landfill, 155 acres
of former industrial property that could be redeveloped
and 52 acres of open and/or filled land.

Environmental investigations are nearly complete for the
remaining industrial portion of the DuPont facility.
DuPont is also evaluating potential redevelopment
opportunities for this property. EPA expects to propose an
additional cleanup plan for the contaminated industrial
area in 2015 and hold a public meeting to present the
proposed cleanup/redevelopment plan, answer questions
and accept oral or written comments.

Part of the Natural Area, where a proposed cleanup is planned that should not adversely affect wildlife.

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