Gary Development Landfill

Site Information

Gary, IN (Lake County)
EPA ID# IND077005916
Superfund Site Progress Profile
NPL Fact Sheet
Map (PDF) (1pp, 411KB)

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Janet Pope (pope.janet@epa.gov)
312-353-0628 or 800-621-8431, ext.30628

Remedial Project Manager
David Linnear(linnear.david@epa.gov)
312-886-1841 or 800-621-8431, ext. 61841

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Gary Public Library
220 West 4th Ave.
Gary, IN
(219) 886-2484

Links

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund Frequent Questions

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Background

1996 photo of leachate/stormwater runoff pond.

The Gary Development Landfill site is a former landfill that operated from approximately 1975 to 1989. It is located at 479 Cline Avenue, in a primarily industrial neighborhood in Gary, Indiana. The landfill accepted hazardous waste including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), asbestos, metals, and pesticides. Contaminants from the site have been detected in a wetland which is adjacent to the southeastern portion of the property. This wetland borders the Grand Calumet River. The State of Indiana has referred the site to the EPA.

Site Updates | Latest Update | News Releases | Technical Documents

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

September 2011

The Gary Development Landfill site has been added to the Superfund program National Priorities List. The National Priorities List is EPA's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for long-term cleanup. EPA will try to identify any local parties potentially responsible for the contamination. For sites without a viable responsible party, EPA investigates the full extent of the contamination before starting any significant cleanup. When a site is added to the NPL it is eligible for financial resources to fully characterize the extent of the contamination and develop a cleanup plan. EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site.

May 2011

The Gary Development Landfill site was proposed to be added to the Superfund program National Priorities List. The National Priorities List is EPA's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possibly long-term cleanup. EPA will try to identify any local parties potentially responsible for the contamination. For sites without a viable responsible party, EPA investigates the full extent of the contamination before starting any significant cleanup. If the site is added to the NPL it will be eligible for financial resources to fully characterize the extent of the contamination and develop a cleanup plan.
How a site is listed
EPA uses a mechanism called the Hazard Ranking System to place hazardous waste sites on the NPL. This is a scoring tool using initial and limited investigations to assess the potential that the site poses a threat to human health and the environment. Scores are based on the potential of hazardous substances spreading from the site and on other factors such as density and how close the contamination is to people.

Public Comment Period Closed

A 60-day comment period began when the site was proposed to the NPL on March 10, 2001. The comment period closed on May 9, 2011. All comments received regarding the NPL listing proposal of the Gary Development Landfill site will be reviewed by EPA staff. Responses to comments will be made when the EPA determines whether to finalize listing of the site on the NPL.