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Site 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site

0153 Ground Water Contamination Site

Site 0153 Interactive Area Map
Site 0153 Potential Responsible Party (PRP)
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January 2022: Final Report to U.S. EPA

October 2021 Update

  • Record of Decision [PDF]: The Record of Decision (ROD) presents IDEM’s selected remedy for Site 0153 and describes how IDEM will ensure the Riverside and White River Municipal Wellfields will continue to be operated in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
  • Remedial Action Report [PDF]: The Remedial Action Report documents construction and implementation activities utilized at Site 0153 to achieve the remedial action objectives presented in the ROD. Specifically, this report documents the activities associated with the installation of an aeration system on production well WR-3 to remove contaminants from raw water in the production well to below maximum contaminant levels.

U.S. EPA is considering de-proposal of Site 0153, effectively removing the site from consideration for the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. The following have written letters in support of U.S. EPA removing Site 0153 from consideration for the National Priorities List:

August 2021 Update

April 2021 Update

March 2021 Update: Public Notice of Settlement and Agreed Order

  • Public Notice of Agreed Order [PDF]
  • Agreed Order [PDF]: Sixteen property owners within Site 0153 have entered into an Agreed Order with IDEM to fund a Monitoring and Future Response Fund (MAFR Fund) in the amount of $425,000. IDEM will use the MAFR Fund to continue to monitor the quality of underground drinking water within Site 0153 over the next 10 years and perform any cleanups if any become necessary.

All comments were due on or before April 15, 2021.

January 2021 Annual Report

January 2021 Update: Public Notice

The comment period for the following draft documents ended on February 18, 2021:

  • Record of Decision [ZIP]: The Record of Decision (ROD) presents IDEM’s selected remedy for Site 0153. IDEM has determined that the response actions selected in this ROD will ensure the Riverside and White River Municipal Wellfields (Wellfields) will continue to be operated in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
  • Proposed Remedial Action Plan [PDF]: The Proposed Remedial Action Plan (RAP) utilizes information and data gathered during the Remedial Investigation, Human Health Risk Assessment, and the Feasibility Study to present the Preferred Alternative for Site 0153. The Preferred Alternative, as part of the Proposed RAP, focuses on protecting the Wellfields to ensure the continued supply of safe drinking water. For additional information, please see the Site 0153 RAP Fact Sheet [ZIP].

November 2020 Update: Public Notice and Virtual Public Meeting

The comment period for the following draft documents ended on December 11, 2020:

Note: U.S. EPA has reviewed the Remedial Investigation Report and Human Health Risk Assessment and IDEM has incorporated their comments into the final drafts.

Public Meeting

IDEM hosted a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 5:30 PM. Due to the pandemic, this meeting was conducted via Zoom.

June 2020 Update

February 2019 Update

IDEM held a public meeting for the 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site on Thursday, February 21, 2019 from 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM at the Municipal Gardens Family Center located at 1831 Lafayette Road in Indianapolis.

IDEM also recently submitted the 2019 Annual Report to the U.S. EPA.

June 2018 Update

IDEM hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, June 27, starting at 6:00 PM at the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

March 2018 Update

IDEM hosted a public meeting on Thursday, March 8, starting at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Gardens Family Center.

February 2018 Update

IDEM hosted the quarterly public meeting on Thursday, March 8, at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Gardens Family Center located at 1831 Lafayette Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46222.

December 2017 Update

The objectives of the community involvement plan for Site 0153, and the specific activities to address these objectives, are based largely on information obtained during public meetings held in 2016 and 2017.

Documents:

November 2017 Update

IDEM hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30 PM at Christamore House located at 502 North Tremont Street in Indianapolis.

October 2017 Update

IDEM hosted the quarterly public meeting on Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30 PM at Christamore House located at 502 North Tremont Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222. We look forward to seeing you there!

August 2017 Update

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) hosted an information session on Thursday, August 17, 2017, from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at the Watkins Park Family Center located at 2360 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. in Indianapolis.

Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance Grant for 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site [PDF]

Site Description

The 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site is an area of impacted ground water in the vicinity of the Riverside and White River well fields owned and operated by Citizens Water in Indianapolis, Indiana. Even though low levels of various chemicals have been detected in "raw", untreated ground water, the finished drinking water provided by Citizens Water is safe and meets all requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site area is generally 35th St. to the north, Holt Rd. to the west, Washington St. to the south, and Central Ave. to the east.

Background

In early 2013, IDEM received notice from Citizens Energy Group that low levels of certain chemicals were being detected in the raw ground water located within the Riverside well field. In 2014, IDEM sampled the raw ground water from all 19 production wells located in the Riverside and White River well fields and found low levels of contamination in five of those wells. The contaminants of concern detected in the raw water of these five wells are trichloroethylene, cis-1, 2-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. These contaminants are man-made chemicals associated with historic manufacturing and dry cleaning processes. IDEM has begun investigation into the sources of the contamination and will be overseeing the investigation of sources of contamination and implementing a cleanup and monitoring plan.

In June 2017, the U.S. EPA deferred the technical and enforcement oversight of Site 0153 to the IDEM State Cleanup Program via a Memorandum of Agreement.

IDEM and U.S. EPA held a public meeting on March 25, 2017, at the Riverside Family Center Gymnasium.

IDEM has prepared an alternative proposed plan for the Riverside Ground Water Contamination site.

The U.S. EPA comment period ended on September 5, 2016. Filed comments are available online through the Regulations.Gov system.

Fact Sheets:

IDEM Fact Sheets (available on the IDEM Fact Sheets page):

  • 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site
  • Trichloroethylene (TCE)
  • Perchloroethylene (PCE)

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