Return to Use Initiative
2009 Demonstration Project
South Point Plant:
South Point, Ohio
THE SITE: The South Point Plant site covers a 610-acre area in
South Point, Lawrence County, Ohio. From 1943 until 2001, the site
was used for on-site munitions, fertilizer, and chemical manufacturing,
as well as energy production from coal and ethanol. Major chemical
spills and disposal of a variety of industrial wastes into unlined
landfills on the site contributed to contamination of ground water and
soils with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and
semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). Approximately 28,000
people rely on ground water drawn from within a mile of the property,
leading the site to be added to the Superfund National Priorities List in
1984. Further site study found that contamination directly impacted
only small portions of the site, meaning the vast majority of the site
was never contaminated. Remedial actions included excavation and
off-site disposal of contaminated soils, construction of a cap for a 13-
acre area of the property, and ground water pumping, treatment,
containment, and monitoring. The system will continue pumping and
treating between two and four million gallons daily until contaminants
in ground water have dropped to acceptable health-based levels.
Institutional controls limit site use to industrial or commercial
purposes and restrict the use of site ground water.
THE OPPORTUNITY: The Lawrence Economic Development
Corporation (LEDC) was formed in the early 1980s as part of an
economic revitalization effort for the region. After assessing several
economic development opportunities, LEDC identified the South
Point Plant site as an ideal property for developing a premier industrial
park that would be centrally located on the Ohio River in close
proximity to transportation networks and infrastructure. In 2001,
LEDC purchased 504 acres of the property for redevelopment.
Open, grassy field and infrastructure from
former industrial site uses.
Barrier: Reticence of prospective
tenants due to lack of clarity about
Superfund status
Solution: EPA issuance of a Ready
for Industrial Reuse determination in
2003
LEDC Office at The Point industrial park.
Before: Clean industrial property
with remedy construction complete
THE BARRIER: Once remedy construction was completed in
December 2001, LEDC developers were eager to move ahead with site
redevelopment. However, the site's Superfund designation raised
concerns among prospective industrial tenants as to whether
redevelopment of the property would be safe and whether there would
be added health risks associated with employees working on a Superfund site
After: A thriving industrial park
providing local jobs and prospects for
further regional economic
revitalization
They also worried about
irfund RedeveloDiment Initi.
-------
potential liability associated with the site's Superfund status. Businesses needed to be assured of site safety and
confident in the value of relocating to the site.
THE SOLUTION: EPA worked closely with LEDC and local governments to support redevelopment at the
site. In 2002, the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative awarded the Village of South Point a Pilot Grant to
assess how site cleanup could best support reuse. Based on the results of this study, EPA issued a Ready for
Reuse (RfR) determination for the LEDC-owned portion of the site in 2003. The RfR determination stated that
the LEDC lands were ready for industrial use and that the site remedy will remain protective of human health
and the environment subject to the operation and maintenance of the remedy and institutional controls already
in place.
THE SITE NOW: Since purchase of the site by LEDC, the majority of the property has been redeveloped into
a successful industrial park called The Point. In 2008, seven businesses were operating on the site including
LEDC, Applied Industrial Technologies, Ohio University Southern Campus Training Center, Engines Inc.,
M&M Mailing, and Mercier's Maintenance. Approximately 150 people are employed at the industrial park and
the number is expected to increase. Future plans include the addition of new tenants, expansion of facilities,
and construction of an intermodal facility that will serve as a vital road, rail, and river transportation resource
for the region. Portions of the site have also been leased for agricultural uses.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Nabil Fayoumi, Remedial Project Manager, at (312)
886-6840 or fayoumi.nabil@epa.gov: or Tom Bloom, Region 5 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at
(312) 886-1967 orbloom.tom@epa.gov.
JOHN
i ^^__
leaal
for
your
community
PROVIDED- BY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS
In partnership with the
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
By working together we can provide econonw opportuniws for Amtficanf
United States
Environmental Pro
Suoerfund Redevelopment Initiative
------- |