Sharon Steel Corporation EPA Region 3 EpA (D# \/,y\/D000800441 Last Update: August 2002 West Virginia Fairmont . . ~ . . . Other Names: .. . ~ . 1st Congressional District n . .... Marion County Fairmont Coke Works Current Site Status Cleanup activities in the waste management area are underway and will last well into 2003. In addition to cleanup actions, activities related to the redevelopment of the site have begun. Site Description The Fairmont Coke Works Site is located in Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia. The Site consists of approximately 100 acres of adjoining parcels of land. Approximately 50 acres of the site were utilized for coke plant operations, waste treatment, and disposal practices. The remaining 50 acres consists of a wooded hillside which descends to the Monongahela River, at the southern portion of the Site. A church is located approximately 50 feet to the south of the southeast boundary of the Site. The eastern portion of the site is adjacent to a trucking company and several private residences. Site operations included manufacturing coke and refining of coke by- products. These by-products included: phenol, ammonium sulfate, ------- benzene, coal tar, toluene, xylene, and coke oven gas. Site Responsibility This site is being addressed through Federal, State and potentially responsible parties' actions. NPL Listing History This Site was proposed to the National Priorities List of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites requiring long term remedial action on June 17, 1996. The Site was formally added to the list December 23, 1996, making it eligible for federal cleanup funds. Threats and Contaminants From 1993 to 1996, EPA conducted an Emergency Removal Action to eliminate the imminent threats posed by hazardous substances present on-site. Such threats included the presence of shock sensitive, unknown, and incompatible lab chemicals. These threats were compounded by the fact that access to the site was unrestricted and there are nearby residential areas allowing for the potential exposure of individuals to hazardous substances, deteriorated leaking tanks and acidic (low pH) leachate. EPA is currently conducting a follow-up Non-time Critical Removal Action to address any remaining threats posed by contamination at the site. Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available on the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC, web site at http ://www. atsd r. cd c. g ov/h azd at. htm I EHijHEHZB Cleanup Progress During August and September of 1990, the owner of the Site at that time removed 2.2 million pounds of waste tar from the on-site sludge impoundments which were disposed of at an off-site facility. Due to the State's dissatisfaction with this action, the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) requested EPA involvement. Following a preliminary removal assessment, an EPA Emergency Removal Action was initiated in May of 1993 and was completed in August of 1996. The primary source areas were identified as follows: North and South Landfills, Oxidation Ponds #1 and #2, the ------- Redeposited and the Upper Sludge Ponds, the Breeze Washout Area, and the Light Oils Storage Area. Secondary source areas included the Breeze Pile, the Main Tar Pit, and the Coke and Coal Storage Areas. During the Removal Action the following hazardous wastes were removed and properly disposed of off-site: 976 tons of coke works sludges; 112,514 gallons of tank liquids; 1,280 cubic yards of process solid wastes; 23 lab packs; 168 cubic yards of asbestos-containing material; 60 pounds of pourable mercury; 221,955 gallons of wastewater; and 34,382 tons of oxidation pond sludges. The following actions were also accomplished during the Removal Action: an extent of contamination survey was conducted to facilitate completion of a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS); extensive storm water controls were installed throughout the Site; acidic tar sludges from both on-site oxidation ponds were stabilized; 11,850 cubic yards of acidic breeze material was removed from the breeze washout area (which included portions of some citizens' back yards) and staged in the upper sludge impoundment on-site; 50,000 cubic yards of material from the North Landfill was stockpiled by the west end of the landfill to allow discharge of clean storm water from the Site; and the North Landfill was covered with a temporary soil cap. EPA executed a Consent Order on September 17, 1997, with the potentially responsible party (Exxon) for implementation of an RI/FS (RI/FS Order) to determine what additional cleanup actions are appropriate. In November of 1997, Exxon approached EPA with a proposal to do a Project XL pilot at this Site. Project XL was created by EPA Headquarters to test innovative environmental management strategies for the 21st century and, through this process, foster excellence and leadership in environmental protection. Following a year of developing this Project XL pilot, EPA approved Exxon's proposal and this Site became the first Superfund site in the country to be cleaned up under Project XL. In May of 1999, EPA, WVDEP, Exxon and the Fairmont Community Liaison Panel signed the Final Project Agreement for Project XL, which outlined how the project will proceed. As part of Project XL, EPA executed a Consent Order (Removal Order) with Exxon on December 11, 1998 for implementation of a ------- Non-time Critical Removal Action. The Removal Order suspends the requirements of the RI/FS Order until after the removal activities are completed. The field investigation portion of the removal action began in September 1998 and was completed in 1999. A phased cleanup approach was adopted under the Project XL Pilot at the Site. The first portion of the Site to be addressed will be the waste management area. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected a removal response action in an Action Memorandum in the spring of 2000. Cleanup activities in the waste management area are underway and will last well into 2003. In addition to cleanup actions, activities related to the redevelopment of the site have begun. Contacts Remedial Project Manager Hilary Thornton 215-814-3323 thornton.hilary@epa.gov Community Involvement Coordinator Carrie Deitzel 215-814-5525 deitzel.carrie@epa.gov The detailed Administrative Record can be examined at the following locations: Marion County Public Library 321 Monroe Street Fairmont, WV 26554 304-366-1210 U.S. EPA Region III 1650 Arch Street 6th Floor Public Reading Room Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-814-3157 ------- |