Cleanup planned at old Indiana industrial site

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Officials say it’s going to cost more than double earlier estimates to clean up a former industrial site in western Indiana that’s contaminated with arsenic, lead and other hazardous substances.

Terre Haute city officials are seeking bids on the estimated $7 million project to remove to a depth of 10 feet on the 20-acre site where Terre Haute Coke and Carbon operated from 1926 until 1988.

The project had been estimated to cost up to $3 million but city planner Pat Martin tells the Tribune-Star that the firmer projection comes from an engineering study completed this summer.

The cleanup is expected to take about nine months to complete. The city assumed ownership of the property two years ago and hopes it will become a commercial development area.