Indiana Recreational Soil Screening Levels

Overview

Indiana’s recreational soil screening levels are published in Published Level Table 2 of the IDEM Risk-based Closure Guide (WASTE-0046-R2, “the R2”), effective March 28, 2025. They are separate from the Table 1 direct-contact standards and apply specifically to recreational land uses where exposure frequency and duration differ from residential or commercial/industrial settings.

Three recreational land use scenarios:

IDEM distinguishes three recreational land uses based on exposure frequency and duration:

• Trail: The least frequent exposure scenario. Represents a user who visits a trail periodically (hiking, biking, walking). Lowest exposure duration, most permissive values.
• Athletic field: Intermediate exposure. Represents regular use of athletic fields for sports and recreation. Moderate exposure duration and frequency.
• Community park: The most protective recreational scenario. Represents frequent use of a community park where children and adults may have regular, prolonged contact with soil. Values decrease (become more protective) from trail to community park as assumed exposure duration increases.

57 chemicals. The recreational table covers a targeted subset of the highest-concern chemicals - metals, carcinogenic organics, and legacy pesticides - rather than the full compound list in Table 1.

Risk basis: Indiana’s published levels use a 1E-05 cancer risk (1 in 100,000) and HQ of 1.0.

Qualifier key:

• C = Carcinogenic
• N = Noncarcinogenic
• S = Soil saturation cap
• L = 100,000 mg/kg cap
• D = Detection limit-based

Blank cells indicate no published recreational level for that chemical - not zero.

Unique to Indiana: Ohio does not publish recreational soil screening levels. This is an Indiana-specific feature of the IDEM published levels framework, useful for evaluating brownfield sites being redeveloped for parks, trails, and recreational facilities - a common reuse scenario in Indiana’s industrial legacy areas.

Recreational Soil Screening Levels

Practical Notes

When to use recreational levels: Use these values when evaluating brownfield redevelopment projects where the proposed end use is a trail, park, athletic facility, or other recreational open space - and where the residential or commercial/industrial land use scenarios from Table 1 do not accurately represent actual exposure. Confirm with IDEM that recreational land use is an accepted end use for the specific site before relying on these values.

Community park vs. residential: Community park values are generally more protective than the Table 1 commercial/industrial values but may be less protective than Table 1 residential values for some chemicals, depending on the exposure assumptions used. Do not substitute recreational values for residential values at sites with adjacent residential receptors.

Lead in recreational settings: Lead is one of the chemicals for which the three-scenario comparison matters most. Children’s exposure to lead during frequent park use can be significant. Confirm which scenario IDEM considers most applicable before relying on trail-level values at a community facility.

Vapor intrusion at recreational properties: Recreational screening levels address the direct-contact pathway only. If volatile contaminants are present, vapor intrusion into any structures on the property (maintenance buildings, concession stands, restroom facilities) should be evaluated separately using the Indiana Indoor Air Published Levels.

Table 1 vs. Table 2: Table 1 (the primary direct-contact standards) covers hundreds more chemicals than Table 2. If a chemical is not in the recreational table, check Table 1 for the residential value and discuss with IDEM whether it is appropriate to use the residential standard as a conservative substitute for recreational use.