EPA gives Federated Metals lead cleanup update at Whiting hearing
By Maya Wilkins
Published on March 27, 2026.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) are working to clean up lead in yards of about 160 homes near the former Federated Metals facility in Whiting High School. About 75 people attended a public hearing to discuss the cleanup plans. The EPA plans to remove soil at properties where lead concentrations were above 200 parts per million. The site is near a bike trail, parks, a church and Calumet College of St. Joseph. The plan involves removing up to 12 inches of soil underground at selected properties, disposing of the soil at an approved landfill, covering contaminated soil with a visual barrier if the site team finds contaminated soil below 12 inches, and restoring yards. Following residential cleanup, the EPA will focus on testing non-residential areas, including George Lake and the former facility.
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