Groups seek new investigation into Indiana contamination

FRANKLIN, Ind. (AP) - Two groups are seeking a federal investigation about why toxic contamination persisted in an Indianapolis suburb decades after it was first discovered.

The Indianapolis Star reports the community group If It Was Your Child and the environmental nonprofit Edison Wetlands Association asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General in a recent letter for an investigation into contamination in Franklin.

The letter says the EPA's handling of the site formerly used by electronics manufacturer Amphenol involved "serious mismanagement." Tests have confirmed groundwater and sewer vapors have cancer-causing chemicals at levels that exceed the Indiana environmental agency's safe limits.

The EPA said Monday in a statement to The Associated Press that it has "worked expeditiously to investigate, develop a plan, implement the plan and communicate" its findings to Franklin.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com