Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
MARION COUNTY
INDIANAPOLIS

Congressional District # 7

CARTER LEE LUMBER CO.

EPA ID# IND016395899
Last Updated: November, 2006

Site Description

The Carter Lee Lumber Company (Carter Lee) Superfund Site (Site) is located west of downtown Indianapolis at 1621 West Washington Street.  Eagle Creek is approximately one mile southwest and the White River is about nine-tenths mile east of the Site. The Site is located seven miles up gradient of one of the groundwater pumps used to supplement the publicly owned drinking water supply for the City of Indianapolis. It is located in a commercial and industrial center primarily composed of heavy industry with only some scattered residences.
 
The Site forms a four acre trapezoid in the southeast corner of the property acquired by Carter Lee in 1979 for expansion of its lumber storage capabilities.

Prior to 1979, the Site was owned by Penn Central Corporation and, in the period from 1960-1973, it was leased to several commercial/industrial waste hauling companies.

Site Responsibility

This site was addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Conservatively biased sampling performed under an EPA site assessment in 1985 indicated that soil might be contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide and various volatile organic compounds. The site assessment and other background information, including unsubstantiated claims of liquid tank car and tank truck dumping by previous site owners, provided the basis to score the site for NPL listing.

The Site was listed on the NPL in 1989. In 1995, a more detailed Remedial Investigation was performed, including a quantitative human health risk assessment. The results of the risk assessment showed that Site contaminants posed only a negligible health risk, even when residential (unrestricted) reuse assumptions were made.

Cleanup Progress

An investigation of the Carter Lee Site, to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the site, was completed in the fall of 1995. The investigation determined that the human health risks posed by site contaminants did not warrant a federal response action.  A No Further Action Record of Decision was prepared by EPA and signed by the Region 5 Regional Administrator on September 29, 1995.

The site was deleted from the National Priorities List on July 9, 1996.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
owen thompson (thompson.owen@epa.gov)
(312) 886-4843

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
janet pope
(312) 353-0628

Aliases

CARTER LEE LUMBER CO

 

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.