IDEM, EPA and Franklin officials discuss tests

FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Officials are set to update regarding groundwater and soil testing in Franklin.

Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett, IDEM, EnviroForensics and the EPA will be speaking at a 10:30 a.m. press conference.

A news release says preliminary data will be shared.

In July, soil samplings at two elementary schools found trace levels of toxic chemicals.

Levels of trichloroethylene were well below levels established as significant by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. In June, tests of 14 nearby homes set off alarm bells, with nearly half with dangerous levels of radon, which can cause lung cancer, and one with 18 times the acceptable level of trichloroethylene, which can cause kidney cancer. 

The homes and schools are near the former Amphenol Corp. site, a 15-acre property the Edison Wetlands Association said released toxic chemicals for decades. The site was used for manufacturing electrical parts from the 1960s into the 1980s.