FRANKLIN, Ind. (WTHR) — Clean up crews are testing out a new treatment to destroy dangerous chemicals in contaminated groundwater in Franklin.
It's all part of the EPA-ordered cleanup of dangerous chemicals seeping from the Amphenol site into a nearby neighborhood.
13 Investigates first brought environmental hazards in Franklin to light in 2015, after discovering dozens of children diagnosed with cancer living there.
According to the EPA, a non-hazardous mixture called PlumeStop is being injected through small pipes into two areas: one near North Forsythe Street and Hamilton Avenue; the other near Hamilton Avenue and Glendale Drive.
PlumeStop is a customized bio-remediation mixture made of activated carbon and iron designed to attack volatile organic chemicals like carcinogens TCE and PCE. The mixture will be injected under low pressure into the ground. It will stick to soil particles and turn them into a filter of sorts, attracting the chemicals from the groundwater.
If the pilot study is successful in getting rid of chemicals like TCE and PCE, the process will be expanded to other areas. The materials are expected to spread at least 10 feet in diameter. The closest home is approximately 43 feet away. The EPA says there are no environmental or human health risks. PlumeStop has reportedly been successful at other EPA sites.
The cleanup in Franklin is expected to go through the end of November.
