EPA plans to start excavation at East Chicago Superfund site in April

According to a fact sheet issued in December, the agency plans to dig up and replace soil at an additional 200 additional properties in zone 3 starting this spring.

The agency is still sampling soil in zone 2, and the fact sheet did not include a number of properties expected to be excavated this year.

EPA also has been taking indoor dust samples at homes in zones 2 and 3.

The agency cleaned the inside of 14 properties in zone 2 following excavation. Funding for indoor dust cleaning in zone 3 has not been identified, but EPA is in discussions with the responsible parties to fund the service, the agency said.

The state and federal government reached a $26 million settlement in 2014 with Atlantic Richfield and DuPont for the environmental cleanup in zones 1 and 3. Zone 1 encompasses the West Calumet Housing Complex and former Carrie Gosch Elementary School, while zone 3 includes homes in East Calumet.

EPA has been funding emergency cleanup efforts in zone 2, the middle part of Calumet, which was not included in the 2014 settlement.

EPA said Friday its groundwater expert is still reviewing all data from the area, including data from the Chemours facility to the south of East Calumet. The agency will determine its next steps after the review is complete, a statement said.