Gary airport sues Honeywell over contamination cleanup costs

GARY, Ind. (AP) - The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority has filed a federal lawsuit against Honeywell International Inc. to recoup the cost of cleaning up contaminated groundwater.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times (http://bit.ly/2pXWHhc ) reports the lawsuit alleges the contamination came from a 4.1-acre hazardous waste disposal facility owned and operated by Conservation Chemical Co. of Illinois. The site is next to the airport's main runway.

The airport authority argues that Honeywell sent large quantities of hazardous substances to the Conservation Chemical site and now bears responsibility for ongoing cleanup work. The contamination has affected the 5,700 foot long Boeing Ditch, which empties into the Grant Calumet River, according to the lawsuit.

Honeywell filed a motion to dismiss the case on April 24, arguing it had fulfilled its obligations during prior remediation efforts. The airport authority has until June 7 to respond to the motion.

Conservation Chemical owned the site from 1967 to 1985. New Jersey-based Honeywell participated in some remediation efforts as one of several "potentially responsible parties" identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Honeywell and 14 other parties conducted an extensive cleanup of a portion of the airport's property under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," Honeywell said in a statement issued Monday. "Since we conducted this cleanup, the law protects us from the lawsuit's claims. We will vigorously defend this lawsuit."

The airport's lawsuit, originally filed on March 1, said the work did not extend past the site itself. The suit alleges the airport has spent about $500,000 addressing the contamination and expects to spend more than $2 million more on the project.

___

Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com