Flexsteel Industries, Groundwater Contamination, Indiana 2024

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Flexsteel Industries Agrees to Pay for Groundwater Cleanup in Elkhart

Flexsteel Industries Inc. has agreed to a consent decree that requires it to pay $9.8 million for the cleanup of contamination at the Lane Street Ground Water Contamination Superfund Site in Elkhart, Indiana, and to reimburse the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a portion of its past costs incurred at the Lane Street Site.

According to the complaint filed simultaneously with the proposed consent decree in the Northern District of Indiana, Flexsteel is liable for the cleanup because its former manufacturing operations contributed to contamination at the Lane Street Site. Previously, EPA entered into administrative settlements with two other potentially responsible parties for their alleged contributions to the contamination at the Lane Street Site.

“This settlement ensures that the responsible party and not the taxpayers fund the cleanup of the Lane Street Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The cleanup funded by this agreement protects the environment and the health of the surrounding community.”

Flexsteel Industries, Groundwater Contamination, Indiana 2024

Flexsteel Industries Inc. is the respondent in this case, with no exact criminal charges specified. The city and state are Elkhart, Indiana. The exact date of the settlement is not specified, but it is implied to be in 2024. The outcome is the payment of $9.8 million for the cleanup of the contamination.

The Lane Street Site consists of approximately 65 acres of residential and light industrial properties in Elkhart, Indiana, impacted by a groundwater plume contaminated primarily with solvents and degreasers such as trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene. In 2016, EPA issued its record of decision for the Lane Street Site that selected a remedy for treating the groundwater plume by breaking down the contamination into harmless compounds. The proposed consent decree funds implementation of the selected remedy.

The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval and will be available for public review on the Justice Department’s website at https://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html. More information about the Site is available on the Lane Street Ground Water Contamination website at https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0510229.