NPL Partial Site Deletion Narrative

Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke
Ironton, Ohio

On August 24, 2020, the EPA partially deleted the soil portion of Operable Unit 1 (OU1); the soil and lagoons
portion of OU2, except for the OU2 Record of Decision (ROD) Soils Area 2; and all of OU3 of the Allied Chemical &
Ironton Coke site located in Lawrence County, Ohio from the National Priorities List (NPL). The OU2 ROD Soils Area
2 and the groundwater portions of the site will remain on the NPL.

The Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke site is located at 3330 South Third Street in Ironton, Ohio, and is surrounded
by industries, businesses, private residences, waterways and wetlands. The site is divided into three OUs. OU1 is
the Goldcamp Disposal Area (GDA), a former sand and gravel pit that was used to dispose waste from the site's
Tar Plant and the Goldcamp Gravel Company and foundry sand from a nearby iron works. Allied Chemical (Allied)
purchased the GDA property in 1955 and stopped using it for waste disposal in 1977. From 1981 to 1999, Allied
went through additional name changes, mergers and acquisitions and is currently Honeywell International Inc.
(Honeywell). OU2, the former Coke Plant/Lagoon Area (CPLA), covers 91 acres and includes five lagoons. OU2
includes groundwater below the CLPA and OU3. OU3, former Tar Plant area, consists of two parcels divided by a
railroad track, Main Parcel and River Parcel. The Coke Plant operated from 1917 to 1982, producing crude tar,
coke, light oil, and ammonia. The facility discharged wastewater and solids wastes generated during the coking
process into the marshy area east of the plant from 1920 through the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Allied constructed
a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a series of lagoons in the marshy area of the Coke Plant to treat the
waste streams from the Coke and Tar Plants. Treated wastewater was discharged to the Ohio River through two
permitted outfalls. Allied operated the Tar Plant (OU3) from 1945 to 2000 to manufacture products from the crude
tar produced at the Coke Plant. The Tar Plant contained 124 above ground storage tanks and numerous buildings.
The OU3 facilities were demolished between 2000 and 2003

From 1993 to 1995, Allied constructed the OU1 GDA remedy by installing a soil-bentonite slurry wall around the
GDA; installing a RCRA-compliant cap over the GDA; extracting groundwater within the containment system and
treating at the on-site WWTP; and installing groundwater monitoring wells and security fencing around the
perimeter of the GDA. In 1996 and 1997, Allied completed the OU2 CLPA groundwater remedy by installing
groundwater extraction and monitoring wells and modifying the on-site WWTP to treat extracted groundwater
from the CLPA, GDA, and the wastewater from the Tar Plant. From 1998 to 1999, Allied excavated material in
Lagoon 5 down to the underlying clay layer. The excavated material was separated and shipped off-site or
disposed off-site after stabilization depending on the composition. Lagoon 5 was backfilled, capped, and
revegetated. Lagoons 1, 3, and 4 did not require remedial action. In 1999, Allied excavated material from Lagoon
2 and backfilled the area. Allied completed the conversion of Lagoons 1 to 4 into wetlands in 2002. The soil
remediation of the CLPA and OU2 Tar Plant soils, with the exception of the ROD Soils Area 2, consisted of
excavation and off-site disposal and was completed in 2000. Additional site materials were also excavated in 2000
as part of the site cleanup. In 2014, Honeywell began OU3 construction at the River Parcel by sealing groundwater
monitoring wells, cleaning out an oil-water separator structure, relocating one of the WWTP outfalls, constructing
a new storm water system, stabilizing the riverbank, removing debris, and installing subaqueous sediment caps
and soil cover. Honeywell addressed the OU3 Main Parcel in 2015 by demolishing the remaining structures, sealing
groundwater monitoring and pumping wells, and installing a cap over the Main Parcel area including a gas
monitoring and venting system

The EPA, with concurrence of the state of Ohio, has determined that all appropriate response actions under
CERCLA, other than maintenance of institutional controls and five-year reviews, have been completed at OU1,
OU2, and OU3 of the Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke site. Therefore, the EPA is deleting the soil, lagoons, and
sediment portions OU1, OU2, and OU3 of the Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke site from the NPL. OU2 ROD Soils
Area 2 and the groundwater portions of the Site will remain on the NPL.

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