INDIANAPOLIS — An illegal dumping site has been a nuisance for east siders for years, and an effort from the city is breathing new life into the area.
Approximately 35,000 tons of illegally dumped foundry sand sat on a lot near the intersection of S. Ewing and E. Washington Streets for years.
“This is where I take my lunch break walks," Rebekah Fuller said.
Fuller works at Jacob-Dietz Fire Protection, which has been providing commercial buildings with sprinklers, fire hydrants and extinguishers since 1990.
The family-owned business has been on S. Ewing St. for about a decade.
“It’s been an issue for the whole time," Fuller said. “The forest back there had a lot of homeless camps; they would come to our location a lot through the fence. A lot of the contaminated material would leak through to our business and make a hassle for us.”
Those worries are finally laid to rest.
Indy DMD removed over 1,300 loads of the foundry sand, as well as overgrown vegetation, and relocated it to an industrial site for re-purposing.
"The DMD Brownfields team is grateful to have partnered with the Office of Corporation Counsel, the Prosecutor's Office, and Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management to bring this cleanup to Indy’s eastside," Indy DMD Chief Communications Officer Auboni Hart said. "This cleanup remains an important step toward restoring the site and supporting future redevelopment in this part of the Indianapolis community."
For Fuller and the Jacob-Dietz team, brighter days are ahead.
“I’m like ‘Wow! Look at all this natural light that’s coming through!’” she said.
