ELKHART — After more than 20 years, the Environmental Protection Agency is cleaning up pollution in Elkhart. The EPA just added the Lusher Street Ground Water Site to its Superfund list. The big concern is drinking water.

In 1987, the EPA discovered what it called a plume of contamination — industrial solvents from previous companies that soaked into the ground.

But it's not just the ground. The solvents made their way into the well water of homes.

"It’s basically bounded by Nappanee Street on the west side, St. Joseph River on the north, Oakland Avenue on the east, Hively on the south,” said Mike Machlan of the city utility department.

The EPA wants to find out just how widespread the contamination is, clean it up, and put all affected homes on city water.

"Especially if you have a well we'd much rather have you on city water,” explained Arvis Dawson of the mayor’s office. “It’s much healthier, based on this being a Superfund site. We don't know exactly what the contaminants could be in the wells."

A number of homeowners in the affected area are aware of the problem as it stands and have been following the situation. Several already had their homes hooked up to city water because of it.

"Actually it has been quite a few years, I would guess 20, since the EPA identified problems with our well water in the area,” said Elkhart homeowner Ann Kalman. “I believe mine in particular was dichloroethylene rather than trichloroethylene.”

"At that particular time, my parents owned the property. The day it came out in the paper I went to the city and made the arrangements to hook into city water,” said homeowner John Bentley. “I just felt it would be better to have it done now, than wait a year or six months."

The Lusher site is the second in Elkhart to appear on the EPA's Superfund cleanup list. Last fall, the EPA put the old Himco landfill site on the list.