Environmental Study Released For Fort Wayne Property
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe environmental study on the 29-acre property recently purchased by the city of Fort Wayne has been released. Our partners at WPTA-TV report the study details instances of reported spills on the North River site as well as areas of concern for the city, which will ultimately be responsible for any remediation efforts.
The report, conducted by Fort Wayne-based IWM Consulting Group, says the property has been used for a variety of purposes since the early 1900s, including a junkyard, a railroad freight station and an auto parts warehouse.
The study lists the four reported spills that took place over a 13-year span:
- 1989: 25 gallons of transformer oil was spilled, though the spill was contained and the oil recovered.
- 1994: 2,400 gallons of caustic soda was spilled into the municipal sewer system but was not recovered.
- 1996: 60 gallons of chromate cleaning solution was spilled into a sanitary sewer drain, however the solution was recovered.
- 2002: An alleged petroleum spill occurred, however no additional information was available.
IWM also details five areas of concern for the North River property. They include the undocumented removal of gasoline tanks, the removal of gas and diesel tanks in various areas of the property, and an investigation of the soil near a former railroad spur.
You can view the entire environmental site assessment in the document below. The city has also made the introduction letter to the assessment, test pit soil sampling and analysis report, groundwater investigation report, and sampling and analysis report available to the public.
The city in early November announced plans to acquire the property from Calhoun Investments LLC for $4.6 million. The deal was approved last week by the Fort Wayne City Council by a 5-3 vote.
When the deal was first announced, the city said the necessary remediation efforts would be determined by the future use of the property, which has yet to be announced.