The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) referred the Exide Battery Site in Frankfort, Indiana to EPA in November 2014. The site is a 13-acre property that was previously operated by a battery manufacturer. According to IDEM, past complaints against the facility include alleged dumping of scrap batteries and acid in a 30-foot deep pit (1997), burying of scrap batteries into holes that were covered by concrete (2002), and fugitive dust dispersing into nearby neighborhoods during demolition (2012).
In September 2014, IDEM screened surrounding residential properties with a x-ray fluorescence (XRF) detector, and found elevated concentrations of lead. Additionally, soil and groundwater samples collected at the site showed elevated concentrations of chlorinated solvents such as 1,1-dichlorethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride.
