Wildlife such as waterfowl, other migratory birds, and the threatened Franklins ground squirrel, and habitats including wetlands and prairies, were affected by release of contaminants at the 250-acre site in LaPorte County. Solvents, cyanide, acids, and wastes associated with the metal-plating process were produced and stored at the site from 1972 through 1978. These contaminants were released after fires broke out at the site in 1974 and 1978, destroying containers in which the products were stored.
The site was listed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as "Superfund") in 1983 due to contamination of groundwater and soils from several pollutants, including organic compounds such as paint solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
"This restoration plan is a blueprint to return to the Indiana landscape some of the natural values that were lost to contamination," said Service project biologist Cindy Chaffee. "The result will make northern Indiana a better place for wildlife, and for people too."
"This represents the first of many restoration efforts resulting from natural resources damages at environmentally contaminated sites in Indiana. With this action, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management moves from merely cleaning up a site to reviving the environment," said Michael OConnor, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
"We take the responsibility of conserving and managing our fish and wildlife resources seriously. Natural resources belong to the citizens of the state. We are the trustees of that resource. Whenever fish and wildlife habitat is damaged, we will seek compensation for the loss," said Patrick R. Ralston, Director of the Department of Natural Resources.
Under CERCLA, the three agencies act as trustees for resources affected by contamination at the Fisher-Calo location. A 1992 consent decree awarded the trustees $220,000 to restore, rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of resources lost or injured by contamination from the site.
Because total restoration of the actual contaminated area is not possible, the plan proposes to restore or create wetland and upland habitats near the Fisher-Calo site to replace those affected by contamination. The agencies propose undertaking habitat restoration projects associated with the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
The plan calls for restoration of private or public lands with voluntary perpetual easements offered to landowners, or acquisition of areas equivalent to those lost due to contamination. The trustee agencies propose restoring small wetlands, called "potholes," and also restoring native prairies. Wetland and prairie habitats support waterfowl and other migratory birds, as well as upland species such as the Franklins ground squirrel, a species designated as threatened by the State of Indiana and found near the site.
Copies of the proposed plan are available for review during normal business hours at the following locations:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
620 South Walker Street
Bloomington, Indiana, 47403
812-334-4261Indiana Department of Environmental Management
File Room
Office of Environmental Response
2525 North Shadeland
Indianapolis, Indiana 46219
317-308-3017Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Kay Nelson
504 North Broadway, Suite 418
Gary, Indiana 46402
219-881-6712Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Mac Carlisle
Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area
5344 South Hupp Road
LaPorte, Indiana 46350
219-393-3612
For more information or to offer restoration suggestions, contact Dave Hudak, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 620 South Walker Street, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Comments should be received by August 26, 1996.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
