Cleanup to Begin at 19th and Beech This Week
October 24, 2024
View the Press Release, Read the Fact Sheet, and learn why this is an important cleanup for our city.
Terre Haute residents, the 19th and Beech area within our community has been an eyesore and health hazard for the better part of a decade. Due to its condition, the EPA has granted the City of Terre Haute assistance in removing hazardous waste beginning this week. This clean up effort is expected to take a year. Once it is completed, the city will look into redevelopment possibilities for the land. Health and safety of our community during this project is extremely important to us. To learn about the health and safety measures being implemented during this cleanup, read the fact sheet below.
“We are ecstatic and blessed that the EPA has decided to conduct site cleanup here in Terre Haute,” said City of Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun. “We wanted to thank IDEM, the EPA staff, our Federal representatives Congressman Bucshon and Senator Young, the Biden-Harris Administration, and our local engineering team for their hard work on this endeavor. This site clean-up shows our community that cities like Terre Haute will no longer be left behind. This is a true win for our community.”
"This site activity represents much more than cleanup efforts. Terre Haute will not allow bad actors to take advantage of our land and resources. As clean up begins, I will be shifting my focus to ensuring clean up activities are conducted in a safe manner and explore legal opportunities to hold those that created this situation accountable. The long term plan is to redevelop this parcel and bring transformational change to our inner city." - Mayor Brandon Sakbun
Read the EPA Project Fact Sheet
Site Contact:
Leonard Zintak
On-Scene Coordinator
Site Location:
1536 Beech St
Terre Haute, IN 47807
response.epa.gov/columbianenameling
The Columbian Enameling and Stamping Company operated from 1902 until 1968 producing enamel cookware. In 2021, the current owner of the property, Complete Industrial Holdings, began demolishing site buildings and scavenging valuable building materials. Salvaging crews performed these operations without required permits. In April 2022, the Indiana Building Inspectors Office issued a cease work order.
During Winter of 2023, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management requested that EPA assist it by conducting a removal assessment at the site. A time-critical removal action was initiated at the site on October 21, 2024. Geographic coordinates at the center of the Site are latitude 39.487427 degrees north and longitude -87.390695 degrees west.