As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, "beauty" translates to pollution... but the meaning holds. The answer you get to the question "what is Site 0153?" will very much depend upon who you ask.
To Indiana's Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Site 0153 is a technical problem to be solved. This technical problem arose when, in 2013, Citizens Energy Group notified IDEM of low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) within the groundwater of Riverside (IDEM, 2018). It is a groundwater contamination site spanning from 35th Street to the north, Holt Road to the west, Washington Street to the South, and Central Avenue to the east (IDEM, 2018). There are over 100 potential polluting sites within these few square miles, and the technical challenge is so great that the IDEM commissioner recommended in 2015 that the federal Environmental Protection Agency take the site over for clean up (MOA, 2017). But after two years of public meetings, IDEM assumed jurisdiction over clean-up and has dedicated a $1 million budget annually to clean up Site 0153 (IDEM, 2017).
Figure 1: IDEM Interactive Site 0153 Map
To members of the community, Site 0153 is a community problem requiring collaboration and government accountability to resolve. The Kheprw Institute, which works to promote "Community Empowerment through Self Mastery" in the Riverside area, has held a monthly Environmental Justice assembly to "bring greater attention and scrutiny to Site 0153 Groundwater contamination" (Kheprw Institute, 2018). The Indianapolis Environmental Equity Council (IEEC) was formed in 2016 as a coalition of neighborhoods, churches, and businesses concerned about Site 0153 (Facebook, 2018). It has since published 8 community newsletters and canvased the neighborhoods throughout the area to educate businesses and residents on the situation (IEEC, 2018).
Figure 1: IDEM Interactive Site 0153 Map
To members of the community, Site 0153 is a community problem requiring collaboration and government accountability to resolve. The Kheprw Institute, which works to promote "Community Empowerment through Self Mastery" in the Riverside area, has held a monthly Environmental Justice assembly to "bring greater attention and scrutiny to Site 0153 Groundwater contamination" (Kheprw Institute, 2018). The Indianapolis Environmental Equity Council (IEEC) was formed in 2016 as a coalition of neighborhoods, churches, and businesses concerned about Site 0153 (Facebook, 2018). It has since published 8 community newsletters and canvased the neighborhoods throughout the area to educate businesses and residents on the situation (IEEC, 2018).
Figure 2: Example Newsletter from the IEEC (March 2018)
To a student of history, the contaminated groundwater of Site 0153 is a legacy of booming 20th century industrial growth combined with racist financial policies throughout the 1930's-1980's. The area is predominantly populated by those of lower income, and those of African-American or Hispanic descent (Department of Metropolitan Development, 1980). By looking through a historical lens, a student of history can tell the story of why those of lower income and minority race are disproportiantely dealing with effects of pollution. As will be explored by subsequent posts in this blog, both redlining policies and a strong industrial base amplified the negative effects of the other and lead to a spiral of disinvestment throughout the Site 0153 area.
These varied answers are all valid because Site 0153 is a complex site with a history spanning the last 120 years. It is the story of more than one hundred industrial sites, churches, and communities tied together by geography and polluted groundwater. As such, Site 0153 is peephole through which to examine the diametrically opposed trends in the City of Indianapolis - racist housing policies alongside tireless community advocacy; generational pollution alongside cultural feats that continue to entertain the nation. It is the story of hundreds of narrative threads passing through one geographic location. Hopefully, by examining these threads bit by bit, this blog can reconstitute the tapestry of Site 0153's history.
*historical note - throughout this blog, language drafted directly from historical documents will retain its original language. I therefore ask in advance for patience with outdated language like "negro" and "white" families when looking at historic racial discussions.
*historical note - throughout this blog, language drafted directly from historical documents will retain its original language. I therefore ask in advance for patience with outdated language like "negro" and "white" families when looking at historic racial discussions.
Sources Cited (in order of appearance)
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management. (2018). Site 0153 Ground Water Contamination Site. [online] Available at: https://www.in.gov/idem/cleanups/pages/site0153/index.html [Accessed 17 Nov. 2018].
- MOA: Memorandum of Agreement Between United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 and Indiana Department of Environmental Managment for the 0153/Riverside Ground Water Contamination Site, Indianapolis, Indiana: EPA Publications, 2017.
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Site Investigation Strategy - Site 0153 Plume (formerly Riverside Groundwater Contamination) Indianapolis, IN EPA ID# INN000510936. (Indiana, 2017). https://www.in.gov/idem/cleanups/pages/site0153/files/0153_site_strategy.pdf [Accessed 17 Nov. 2018].
- Kheprw Institute. (2018). Environmental Justice Assembly. [online] Available at: http://kheprw.org/environmental-justice-assembly/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2018].
- Facebook. (2018). Indianapolis Environmental Equity Council. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/IndianapolisEEC/about/?ref=page_internal [Accessed 17 Nov. 2018].
- Indianapolis Environmental Equity Council. (2018). Site 0153 Groundwater Investigation and Clean-Up Newsletter. Print.
- Department of Metropolitan Development. Marion County Division of Planning and Zoning. Riverside Neighborhood Data Inventory. Indianapolis, Indiana, 1980.
No comments:
Post a Comment