Agreement reached for testing at LaSalle Park and Beck's Lake

New information about a Superfund site in South Bend.

The city and Honeywell International reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to do more tests at LaSalle Park and Beck's Lake.

Beck's Lake was put on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List 2 years ago.

Before becoming a park, the land may have been used as a dump side prior to the 1950s.

Testing can start as early as next Spring.

It's expected to last several months.

Preliminary tests found elevated levels of metal below the surface.

There is no immediate threat to public health.

Read the full release here:

The City of South Bend announced today that the City and Honeywell International Inc. have finalized an agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to further test LaSalle Park for unsafe levels of contamination. This agreement follows the listing of Beck's Lake on EPA's Superfund National Priorities List in 2013. As a result of this agreement, testing could begin as soon as spring of next year and is expected to last several months. If unsafe levels of contamination are found, an evaluation of potential remedies would follow that could take several additional months to complete.

The agreement, once executed by the EPA, provides a framework to investigate LaSalle Park for potential legacy pollution that remains from when part of the park may have been used as a dump site prior to the mid-1950s. The City began developing LaSalle Park in 1959 and completed acquisition of the last property in 1968.

The agreement calls for the City and Honeywell to jointly perform a focused remedial investigation to determine the nature and extent of any contamination, and to identify and evaluate remedial alternatives to prevent, mitigate, or remedy any threatened release of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. The EPA also says it will seek other potentially responsible parties to help cover the costs of the investigation and remediation, if that is determined to be necessary.

"This agreement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring a safe environment for all residents throughout the City," Mayor Pete Buttigieg says. "The LaSalle Park neighborhood has shared concerns about the potential effects of legacy pollution for many decades. In this matter, it's best to conduct the testing and be on the safe side."

While no immediate threat to public health has been found in LaSalle Park, preliminary sampling results in 2009 found elevated levels of metals below the surface. However, additional soil sampling in 2013 found arsenic levels within the range considered to be safe for residents using the Park.

In 2013 and 2014, EPA representatives met with LaSalle Park residents to learn more about their concerns and questions. From these meetings the EPA plans to develop a community involvement plan.

The agreement was entered into voluntarily by the City and Honeywell, and neither the City nor Honeywell admit any liability.

To learn more about the Beck's Lake site, visit epa.gov/region5/cleanup/beckslake.