WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Residents of Bloomington’s Waterman neighborhood are raising concerns about contaminants in storm-water runoff from JB Salvage.
On June 19, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management tested storm-water runoff from the locally-owned automotive scrap metal business. IDEM’s tests revealed levels of the contaminants copper, aluminum, iron and lead were all above EPA benchmarks.
Sarah Cahillane was one of several Waterman neighborhood residents who expressed their concerns about contaminated soil and water to the Bloomington City Council, last week.
City of Bloomington Utilities Director Vic Kelson said CBU has twice done their own testing on runoff from the JB salvage site. The first test showed elevated levels of copper, lead and aluminum, but not high enough for CBU to issue a fine. Kelson said that in a second round of tests, conducted in January, 2019, all contaminants were lower than in the previous testing. Copper in particular had fallen below the standard level. Kelson added that no heavy metals or PCBs were found in CBU’s samples.
According to Kelson, JB Salvage is not in violation of any water quality standard because the state of Indiana has none, except for copper. He also said regulating JB Salvage’s chemical emissions is beyond CBU’s purview. Kelson said IDEM has asked JB Salvage to change their permitting status, which he says should mean the company will be monitored by IDEM more regularly.
