EPA removes more than 700 truckloads of debris from former Indiana brewery

Officials in South Bend, Indiana, are planning the next cleanup phases of the former Drewrys Brewery following remediation efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last fall to remove more than 13,000 tons of demolition debris and asbestos-containing material.

As reported by the South Bend Tribune, Chicago-based Tetra Tech Inc. outlined a three-month emergency cleanup on South Bend’s northwest side in a report to EPA this month.

The need reportedly became urgent when the site testing revealed asbestos and other toxic chemicals in debris piles following the demolition of multiple buildings by the former property owner, Steve Durkee.

From Aug. 15 to Nov. 7, according to the February report, crews sent 13,458 tons of construction and debris material, shipped in 728 truckloads; 630 cubic yards of friable, or easily crumbled, asbestos-containing material, shipped in 12 truckloads; and two tons of nonfriable asbestos-containing material in one truckload.

Crews also sent more than 60 containers of potentially hazardous chemicals to a chemical company in Ohio for further testing, the South Bend Tribune reports.

“Overall, the imminent and substantial threat to public health, welfare, and the environment — including wildlife—posed by the presence of asbestos and uncontrolled hazardous substances has been successfully mitigated at the site,” the report states.

The city of South Bend, which took ownership of the property in 2022, is responsible for demolishing the six remaining buildings on-site.

The South Bend Board of Public Works voted Feb. 26  to request bids to tear down buildings, including the main bottling facility, and to clear out heaps of debris to make room for future redevelopment. The facility’s large white silos and a 150-foot concrete smokestack will remain, according to senior project engineer Zach Hurst.

Hurst tells the South Bend Tribune that the city will require fencing to keep trespassers out of the demolition zone.

The building that eventually became Drewrys Brewery was built in 1868. Operations ceased abruptly in 1972 as large brewers began to dominate the market. The site was later redeveloped for industrial use by OmniPlex.