Tippecanoe environmental board asks federal intervention after EPA signals PFAS, dioxin groundwater testing; approves claims and contract renewal

Lafayette, Ind. — On July 22, 2025, the Tippecanoe County Local Environmental Response Finance Board voted to ask its board president to contact the county’s congressional delegation after U.S. EPA staff indicated additional groundwater testing for PFAS and dioxin might be included in the site’s five‑year review.

The board took the action during a report from Sarah Gus, who said she was attending for Vicky (not present). Gus told members that EPA would not agree to excluding groundwater from the review and "they're asking for additional testing to be done for PFOS and 14 dioxin, which we are trying to push back on." Board members said the potential testing could impose substantial costs and produce results that may not change what can be done at the landfill.

Why it matters: Board members said additional testing could impose meaningful costs on the local program and provide little practical benefit because, as discussed at the meeting, the site is capped and monitored and there is no direct discharge to the Lafayette wastewater plant. The board asked staff to prepare cost estimates and to have the board president send a targeted…