Town of Pines Superfund Site

On September 12, 2022, the proposed Consent Decree agreed to between the EPA, the State of Indiana, and NIPSCO regarding the remediation of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) in the Town of Pines was entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.  The Consent Decree provides a pathway for the continuation and completion of the work that NIPSCO has been performing in the Town of Pines under previous administrative consent orders with the EPA.  This work includes making efforts to conduct soil testing at properties where such testing has not yet been conducted, and taking remedial steps, where necessary, if soils contain constituents associated with CCRs above the EPA cleanup levels for the project. NIPSCO will also monitor groundwater to confirm groundwater conditions remain protective and, if necessary, will address CCR-related groundwater impacts related to fill deposits.  NIPSCO is committed to working with residents in the Town of Pines to implement the Consent Decree in a safe and protective manner.

Soil Sampling Program

Under this program, we are requesting that landowners volunteer to provide access to have the soil on their property inspected for the presence of CCRs and soil sample(s) collected and tested at an EPA-approved laboratory (at no cost to the landowner). There are particular constituents of concern for CCRs for which risk-based clean-up levels have been identified in the Record of Decision for the Town of Pines Superfund Site. The results of the testing will be reviewed with EPA, Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and the property owner.

Where EPA and IDEM determine that results above risk-based clean-up levels need to be addressed, NIPSCO will work with the property owner to gain access to conduct a removal action for the affected soils. NIPSCO will perform the appropriate excavation, disposal, and restoration activities at no cost to the property owner.

Property owner consent in the form of a signed access agreement will be required to perform any sampling, and a separate access agreement will be needed for any remediation activities.

Subject to EPA approval, NIPSCO will be conducting a community notification program starting in late February 2024 that follows up on previous efforts to inform the community of the free soil testing program and to recruit properties where soil has not yet been tested to be tested. In the meantime, please reach out to us directly if you are interested in having your property tested.

*Note that EPA changed the term coal combustion by-products (CCBs), used in earlier project documents, to CCRs in the Consent Decree. NIPSCO is using the term CCR going forward.