The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a 30-day public comment period on its proposal to delete the United Scrap Lead Co. Superfund site in Troy, Ohio, from Superfund’s National Priorities List. The agency has determined that the required cleanup for the site is now complete and no further action is necessary other than continued operation and maintenance, monitoring and five-year reviews.
The 25-acre site is on County Road 25-A approximately one mile south of the city of Troy. Between 1948 and 1980, lead from batteries was reclaimed on the property. Battery acid and rinse water contaminated soil and debris with lead and arsenic. The Superfund cleanup involved:
- Excavation, treatment and disposal of polluted soil.
- Installation of a residential well.
- Fencing and institutional controls to limit future use of the site.
Post-cleanup monitoring confirms that groundwater meets federal drinking water standards. Long-term stewardship at the site will be ongoing to maintain institutional controls, security, and ensure future land use is consistent with the cleanup.
Superfund law requires regular reviews of sites following cleanups to ensure that the remedy continues to effectively protect human health and the environment. EPA’s most recent five-year review in 2021 provides an evaluation of cleanup requirements and effectiveness as well as current maintenance and monitoring efforts. The next scheduled review will be in 2026. A proposed or final deletion does not prevent future actions under the Superfund law.
The NPL tracks the nation’s most contaminated sites that threaten human health or the environment. Sites on the list are eligible for cleanup under the Superfund program and once all the remedies are successfully implemented, EPA removes sites or parts of sites from the list.
EPA’s comment period began May 14 and closes June 14. The public may submit comments online at https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-SFUND-2005-0011-0182 or by emailing [email protected]
For more information, go to www.epa.gov/superfund/united-scrap-lead.
