INDIANAPOLIS — A chemical plant on the west side of Indianapolis is shutting down, and neighbors have one more day to weigh in on the proposal to clean it up.
The Environmental Protection Agency is working on a deal to get rid of contamination near the Reilly Tar and Chemical Superfund site along Tibbs Avenue and Minnesota Street.
Neighbors who have lived in the area for decades told 13News the plant has affected their daily lives.
"It's been miserable living around here," Cheri Hammer said. "I don't even know what it is, but the smell is ammonia, and it's caused havoc around here."
The agency says over multiple decades, multiple companies that owned the plant caused pollution with chemicals seeping into the ground, contaminating groundwater.
"We've heard some comments that it's about time they started the cleanup, but the reality is the cleanup has been happening for the past 30 years," EPA project manager Dion Novak said.
The EPA has worked to clean this site through five phases since the 1990s. That includes extracting groundwater and injecting oxygen into the ground.
Now, the federal government has reached a deal with the current owner, 1500 South Tibbs LLC, making that owner legally responsible for the cleanup.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't take a lot of time to contaminate groundwater, but it takes a long time to clean it up," Novak said.
Public comment on the plan ends Wednesday, March 13.
Click here to read details on the proposed deal and share your comments with the Department of Justice.