The Former American Lead Facility (the Facility) is located at 2102 Hillside Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Facility is located in the central part of Indianapolis in the historic Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. American Lead was used for industrial purposes dating back to at least the late 1800s. The property was used for secondary lead smelting operations from 1946 to 1965.
The Site is an area surrounding the former American Lead Facility. The Area of Concern (AOC) is roughly defined as 25th Street to the north, Ralston Avenue to the northeast, along the railroad to Interstate 70 (I-70) with I-70 forming the southern border, and the Monon Trail to the west. The Site boundaries were determined by sampling conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in 2015. The Site includes a mixture of industrial, commercial, residential properties, including single-family homes, vacant lots, community centers, playgrounds, parks, churches, and schools.
Between 2005 and 2007, EPA directed a time-critical removal action conducted by NL Industries. NL Industries removed lead-contaminated soil at 224 properties under an Administrative Order on Consent. The cleanup area for that removal action was determined by an airborne depositional model, and divided into two areas - the North and South TCRA. NL Industries removed and disposed of soil contaminated with lead at or greater than 400 milligrams per kilogram. Soil was removed to a maximum excavation depth of one foot in general residential areas and up to a maximum excavation depth of two feet in gardens and play areas.
Sampling has been conducted by EPA, IDEM, and others in the Martindale-Brightwood community since the completion of the 2005-2007 time-critical removal action. Sampling was conducted in areas in and beyond the original TCRA. The Site was evaluated for the National Priorities List (NPL), but did not meet the minimum score to be placed on the NPL. However, lead concentrations in the community present a significant risk to human health.
In September 2016, EPA began a time-critical removal action consisting of excavation and removal of lead-contaminated soil at residential properties, backfilling excavated areas to original grade with clean topsoil, and restoring landscaping.
Information for the public is available at https://www3.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/americanlead/index.html.
