Lusher Street Ground Water Contamination Site

Site Information

Elkhart, IN (Elkhart County)
EPA ID# IND982073785
NPL Site Narrative
NPL Factsheet
CERCLIS listing
Alias(es): N/A

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Patricia Krause (krause.patricia@epa.gov)
312-886-9506 or 800-621-8431, ext. 69506, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST

Remedial Project Manager
Syed Quadri (quadri.syed@epa.gov)
312-886-5736 or 800-621-8431, ext. 65736

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Elkhart Public Library
Reference Services
300 S. Second St.
Elkhart, IN 46516

Links

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund glossary
Superfund Frequent Questions:
Superfund Information Systems Frequent Questions

Region 5 RCRA

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Fact Sheets about Chlorinated Solvents

1,1,1-Trichloroethane(PDF) (2pp, 38K)

Trichloroethylene (PDF) (2pp, 53K)

Background

The Lusher Avenue Ground Water Contamination site is a ground water plume (underground mass of contaminated water) located in Elkhart, Ind. The area is bordered to the north by the St. Joseph River, to the west by Nappanee Street, to the south by Hively Avenue and to the east by Oakland Avenue. Sources of contamination have not been identified, and there are a number of industrial facilities in the area.

The Lusher Avenue Ground Water Contamination area was discovered during the investigation of the K.G. Gemeinhardt Company on State Road 19 in Elkhart. Contaminants were found in private drinking water wells and the Elkhart Health Department was notified. The contaminants of concern are chlorinated solvents that are used as degreasers, parts cleaners, engine cleaners, and foam plastic blowing agents.

Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) and Community Advisory Group (CAG) are two ways the community can get involved. Learn more about CAGs and TAGs

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Site Updates

March 2009

As the first phase of the remedial investigation, soil and ground water samples from different businesses in the area of the Lusher Street Ground Water Contamination site will be collected by EPA. The purpose of this investigation is to determine which facilities within the area of the site are contributing contaminants to the groundwater plume. EPA sent letters requesting access to a number of area facilities who have used or may have used TCE or other solvents that were found in the ground water. EPA will evaluate the data from the collected samples and create a report. Eventually an in-depth remedial investigation and feasibility study will be performed. This is where data is gathered to determine the extent of contamination, a site cleanup criteria is established, and preliminary alternatives for cleanup action are identified. The feasibility study analyzes potential cleanup options. A remedial investigation and feasibility study is referred to as an RI/FS.