xvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Priorities List (NPL)
**
*Proposed Site
***
OSWER/OSRTI
Washington, DC 20460
October 2010
HORTON IRON AND METAL
Wilmington, North Carolina
New Hanover County
(g) Site Location:	
The Horton Iron and Metal property occupies a total of 3 8 acres and is currently operated as a metal recycling facility. The
east border of the site is the Northeast Cape Fear River. The area intended for NPL listing is the portion of the Horton
property which was historically operated as a phosphate fertilizer manufacturing facility, along with sediments in two boat
slips located on the Cape Fear River.
Site History:	
From 1911 to 1949, American Agricultural Chemical Company operated a phosphate fertilizer manufacturer with a lead-
acid chamber fertilizer plant. Naco Fertilizer Company continued the fertilizer operations from 1949 to 1954. During the
1960s and 1970s, Horton conducted ship-breaking operations and metal salvage of World War II Liberty Ships in the two
boat slips.
I Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Because of fertilizer manufacturing operations, the soil, ground water, and boat slip sediments are contaminated with high
levels of arsenic and lead. As a result of ship-breaking operations, petroleum products, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals, and asbestos have been detected in soil and slip sediments.
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