Indian Bend Wash Area
EPA #: AZD980695969
State: Arizona(AZ)
County: Maricopa
City: Scottsdale and Tempe
Congressional District: 01
Other Names:
Description and History
NPL Listing History
NPL Status: Final
Proposed Date: 12/30/82
Final Date: 09/08/83
Deleted Date:
The entire area of the Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site (IBW Site) covers approximately 13 square miles in Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona. EPA divided the Site into two areas known as North Indian Bend Wash (NIBW) and South Indian Bend Wash (SIBW). NIBW and SIBW are on separate cleanup tracks as discussed below.
There are numerous industrial facilities located in the vicinity of the IBW Site. Up until the 1970s, before our current environmental regulations existed, industrial solvents containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were typically disposed of directly onto the ground or in dry wells. These disposal practices, along with other releases, resulted in the present soil and groundwater contamination at the Site.
Groundwater at the Site is present in three separated levels or layers. These layers are referred to as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Aquifers. Land use in the vicinity of the IBW Site includes residential, industrial/commercial, agricultural, public and private recreational (parks, golf courses, playing fields, etc.), undeveloped open space, and waterways.
EPA and the State of Arizona have been involved in investigations and cleanup activities at the IBW Site since the initial discovery of VOCs in the groundwater in 1981. The IBW Site (NIBW and SIBW together) was placed on EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL), or Superfund list, in 1983.
For more detailed information on each individual site, please follow the links below:
North Indian Bend Wash
South Indian Bend Wash
Maps
A general layout map of the entire Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site can be found here.
For more detailed plume maps of NIBW and SIBW, please see information provided on the respective NIBW and SIBW weblinks posted above.
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Contaminants and Risks
Contaminated Media:
Groundwater
Soil and Sludges
Groundwater and soils (in certain isolated areas) are contaminated with VOCs, including TCE and PCE.
The primary risk at the IBW Site was to individuals who may have consumed contaminated groundwater before it was discovered in 1981. Since individuals are currently not drinking the contaminated groundwater, there is no direct human health threat associated with the groundwater contamination. All drinking water in the Scottsdale/Tempe area is provided by municipal drinking water suppliers. This water can not be served to customers unless it meets all drinking water standards set by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Wells can not be drilled in the state of Arizona without a permit from the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). EPA works with ADWR to coordinate the cleanup efforts at the IBW Site. If someone applied for a well permit, ADWR would inform them of the risks of using the groundwater for drinking, showering, etc.
The greatest risk associated with contaminated soil is its potential to impact the groundwater. If individuals were to come into direct contact with contaminated soil, due to the low concentrations of contaminants present in surface and deep soil the potential health risks would be minimal or insignificant.
If you resided in the NIBW area prior to the well closures in 1981, you may have been exposed to TCE.
If you have questions about TCE, please review the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR's) TCE fact sheet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts19.html and EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water technical fact sheet on TCE http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/dwh/t-voc/trichlor.html
Who is Involved
This site is being addressed through Federal and potentially responsible parties' actions.
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Investigation and Cleanup Activities
This site is being addressed in several long-term remedial phases. For the most part, the work has been divided into the following management units: (1) groundwater at NIBW; (2) soil at NIBW; (3) groundwater at SIBW; and (4) soil at SIBW. The EPA is addressing NIBW and SIBW seperately because the contaminants come from different sources and the groundwater plumes are not contiguous. See NIBW and SIBW Site Overviews for specifics.
Cleanup Ongoing
Cleanup Results to Date
After adding this Site to the NPL, EPA performed preliminary investigations and determined that no immediate actions were required at the Site. Remedies have been selected and cleanup activities in various stages are currently underway at both NIBW and SIBW. See NIBW and SIBW Site Overviews for specifics.
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Potentially Responsible Parties
Potentially responsible parties (PRPs) refers to companies that are potentially responsible for generating, transporting, or disposing of the hazardous waste found at the site.
Online information about the PRPs for the site can be found at the NIBW and SIBW site-specific weblinks above.
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Community Involvement
Public Meetings: See NIBW and SIBW Site Overviews for specifics.
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Public Information Repositories
The most complete collection of documents
is the official EPA site file, maintained at
the following location:
Superfund Records Center
Mail Stop SFD-7C
95 Hawthorne Street, Room 403
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 820-4700
Enter main lobby of 75 Hawthorne street,
go to 4th floor of South Wing Annex.
The public information repositories for
the site are at the following locations:
NIBW Site Repository
Scottsdale Public Library, Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
SIBW Site Repository
Tempe Public Library, 3500 South Rural Road, Tempe, AZ 85282
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Contacts
|
Name |
Phone Number |
Email |
Address |
| EPA Site Manager |
Rachel Loftin |
415-972-3253 |
Loftin.Rachel@epamail.epa.gov |
Mail Code SFD62
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 |
EPA Community
Involvement Coordinator |
Vicki Rosen |
415-972-3244
1-800-231-3075 |
Rosen.Vicki@epamail.epa.gov |
Mail Code SFD63
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 |
EPA Public Information
Center |
|
415-947-8701 |
r9.info@epa.gov |
|
| State Contact |
Wendy Flood
State Project Manager,
Felicia Calderon, State Community Involvement Coordinator |
602-771-4410
602-771-4167 |
flood.wendy@azdeq.gov
calderon.felicia@azdeq.gov |
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
1110 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007 |
| PRP Contact |
See NIBW and SIBW Site Overviews for specifics. |
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| Community Contact |
See NIBW and SIBW Site Overviews for specifics. |
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| Other Contacts |
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After Hours
(Emergency Response) |
US EPA |
(800) 424-8802 |
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