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Square D/Schneider Electric - Peru, Indiana

Background

The Square D Site is a former electrical parts manufacturer located in Peru, Indiana. The facility began operating in 1881. Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider) acquired Square D in 1991 and the Site continued the manufacture of panel boards at the facility until May 2020, when the facility shut down operations. The primary operation at the Site from 1958 to 2020 was the construction and painting (powder coating and electrostatic coating) of the metal panels. Site hazardous/non-hazardous material usage included aerosols, powder coating, propane tanks, various oils, paints, wastewater treatment chemicals, and various chemicals/additives used in painting. There was a release to the environment of trichloroethylene (TCE) from the Site at an unknown time. TCE was likely used on this Site as part of historic manufacturing processes, degreasing, and metalworking (VFC# 83253226). The use of TCE did not become regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) until the 1980s.

Resources

In January 2023, IDEM created a fact sheet [PDF] with information on the Square D/Schneider site, potential health risks to the community and IDEM’s role in the remediation process.

Additional Resources:

These resources can help you better understand vapor intrusion and mitigation:

To access the Square D Site’s reports and IDEM comment letters, type the following address into your browser: http://vfc.idem.in.gov/. Then, under “Alternate Field” select “Land Site ID” and enter the Square D Site identification number “6211202”. Click the “I’m not a robot” box. Click the “Search” button. This Virtual File Cabinet (VFC) will be updated with all submittals from ERM and all IDEM comment letters.

To access the document numbers (VFC#) referenced on this page, under the VFC “Alternate Field” select “Document ID” and enter the referenced number. All referenced documents are discoverable by entering the site information as explained above.

Other Resources

The Indiana Department of Health (DoH) received a cancer inquiry from a citizen concerned about former employees of the Square D/Schneider Electric facility. The DoH reviewed data for cancers associated with TCE exposure. The study revealed "Miami County has lower rates of overall cancer than Indiana as well as many of the types of cancer that this concern focused on." The study concluded that "the cancer data does not show an increase in cancer in either Peru or Miami County. This area will continue to be monitored for cancer data as new years of data become available."

Review the Cancer Inquiry Report [PDF] or request a copy of the report from IDOH at the email address below.

Contact Indiana DOH Cancer Epidemiologist, Taylor Eisele, at TEisele@health.in.gov or (317) 234-5122 for additional information.

map of Square D Schneider Electric site
December 12, 2023 soil gas monitoring area. Based on several quarters of sampling data, houses outside of the boundary do not need to be accessed for sampling. All houses within the area have either been sampled and are considered safe for occupation or are not occupied. See VFC# 83571312.
map of Square D Schneider Electric investigation locations
Investigation locations on-site and off-site per the August 15, 2024 Remediation Work Plan. See VFC# 83685209.
map of Square D Schneider Electric site area
Site Management Area per the August 15, 2024 Remediation Work Plan. See VFC# 83685209. Contaminants are only detected within this Site Management Area. There are no current exposure pathways for the properties within the Site Management Area. In order to reach closure, this site must address any potential for future exposures. Properties that have not been contacted for vapor intrusion indoor air sampling do not have any inhalation risks. Those properties may have groundwater contamination, which is found at about 6-15 feet below the ground surface. See the following figure for extents of contamination. Exposure to groundwater contamination is controlled by a 2022 Miami County Environmental Restrictive Ordinance, which is already in use by the City of Peru.
map of Square D Schneider Electric contaminated media
Extents of contaminated media per the August 15, 2024 Remediation Work Plan. See VFC# 83685209. The solid yellow line presents the Site Management Area as described in the figure above. The blue dashed line shows extents of groundwater contamination. The green dashed line shows extents of the soil gas plume. There is no off-site soil contamination. Extents of groundwater and soil gas contamination are expected to shrink due to the active remedies, which are discussed below.

Former Square D Site Remediation Work Plan Public Notice Period - December 5, 2024 through January 6, 2025

A Remediation Work Plan (RWP) is on public notice for this site. A RWP is a document stating that the investigation is complete and proposing a path to closure for the site. This site’s RWP contemplates several remedies, including:

  • Remedies currently in progress:
    • Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE): SVE acts like a vacuum and pulls soil gas out of the ground, preventing exposures.
    • Groundwater injections: Injections naturally break down contaminants in the groundwater, reducing concentrations and extents of contaminants.
    • Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB): A PRB was installed on the southeast Square D property edge. PRBs act like a wall, treating the upgradient (on-site) groundwater contamination as it travels through the wall and minimizing contamination from travelling off-site.
  • Remedies contemplated:
    • E-Redox: E-Redox is a remediation method that breaks down contaminants by applying a low wattage electrical field to the impacted area. It is currently in pilot testing on the site. See VFC # 83711701 for additional information on this remedy.
    • Phytoremediation: This is a remedial method using planted trees, which extract groundwater and treat the contaminants through transpiration.
    • Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA): MNA is used in remediation projects to monitor contaminant concentrations, ensuring the breakdown of contaminants over time. This is proposed in the late stages of the project.
    • Institutional Controls: Environmental Restrictive Covenants are restrictions that are recorded on a property’s deed, with the permission of the property owner. A common restriction is preventing groundwater extraction. An Environmental Restrictive Ordinance (ERO) is also proposed for use in closure of this site. Miami County’s ERO, which applies to the City of Peru, is active and prevents the extraction of groundwater in areas that are currently serviced by city water and in areas with known groundwater contamination. This area falls under the ERO criteria. The ERO has been deemed sufficient by IDEM in preventing future groundwater exposures.
    • Engineering Controls: This is a general category describing active systems that prevent contaminant exposure, such as SVEs (discussed above) or a sub-slab depressurization system, which acts like a Radon system and prevents soil gas vapors from entering a structure.

IDEM has reviewed this document and considers it sufficient for public notice. The site has adequately completed all investigations and several remedies. The implementation of the remedies above and institutional controls prior to site closure are acceptable. See the figure above with dashed lines to see properties impacted by the historic release of contaminants. Properties outside of the Site Management Area are not impacted by the Former Square D site contamination.

This document is available for in-person review at the Peru Public Library at 102 East Main Street for the duration of the December 5, 2024 through January 6, 2025 public notice period. It is also accessible for online review via the Virtual File Cabinet (VFC) document # 83685209 (narrative and appendices), documents # 83685236, 83685243, 83685245, 83685246, 83685248, 83685251, 83685254, and 83685324 (appendix containing all previous submittals), and document # 83726408 (public notice letters being sent to all properties in the site management area, as required by the public notice process). See the Resources section above for instructions on accessing the IDEM Virtual File Cabinet.

During this public notice period, please contact the IDEM Project Manager Chelsea Day at (317) 232-8517 or at CNDay@idem.in.gov with any questions or comments.

Peru Public Information Meeting

On March 2, 2023, representatives from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM) Voluntary Remediation Program conducted a Public Information Session in Peru to provide information on the environmental investigation and remediation process for the former Square D/Schneider Electric site and surrounding area. A recording of the session [YouTube], and displays are available:

January 2023 Split Groundwater Sampling Results

IDEM split groundwater samples in select wells with the consultant ERM on January 18, 2023. IDEM’s results from this sampling event can be viewed at VFC # 83445575.

Contact

For more information, questions, or concerns related to the Square D Site, please contact IDEM’s VRP Project Manager for this Site, Chelsea Day, at (317) 232-8517 or by email at CNDay@idem.in.gov or Bill Holland, Section Chief of VRP, at (317) 234-0967 or by email at BHolland@idem.in.gov.

Note: The effects of exposure to known chemicals at this site is available in several of the documents linked above, including the fact sheet. Questions regarding an individual’s health should be directed to a qualified health care professional.

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