The site’s long-term remedy includes deed restrictions to limit groundwater use and monitored natural attenuation of groundwater. Natural attenuation describes a variety of in-place processes that, under favorable conditions, act without human intervention to reduce the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume or concentration of contaminants in groundwater.
| City | Vincennes |
|---|---|
| County | Knox County |
| State | Indiana |
| Coordinates | 38.69167, -87.50166 |
Prestolite Battery Division is a federal Superfund site in Indiana. The Superfund program, created by Congress in 1980, addresses sites where hazardous substances have been released or threaten release into the environment. EPA scores potential sites using the Hazard Ranking System; those that score high enough are placed on the National Priorities List.
Current status: Construction complete. Physical construction of the cleanup remedy is complete, though long-term monitoring and institutional controls typically continue for years or decades. Groundwater treatment systems, for example, often run long after surface cleanup finishes.
EPA has identified 5 contaminants of concern at this site, including antimony, beryllium, lead. Contamination has been detected in groundwater, sediment, surface water.
If you live near this site and have health concerns, your state health department can provide site-specific guidance. EPA maintains a community involvement program for most NPL sites, and site documents — including the Record of Decision, five-year reviews, and public health assessments — are typically available through EPA's Superfund site profile.