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Sharon Steel Corporation (Farrell Works Disposal Area)
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EPA ID: PAD001933175
Location:
Roemer Blvd
Farrell, PA 16121
Mercer County
Farrell, PA 16121
Mercer County
Congressional District: 4th
Other Names: None
Last Updated: February 2013
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Contacts
Remedial Project Manager
Rashmi Mathur
215-814-5234
mathur.rashmi@epa.gov
Community Involvement Coordinator
Carrie Deitzel
215-814-5525
or 1-800-553-2509 x45525
deitzel.carrie@epa.gov
Governmental Liaison
Laura Mohollen
215-814-3295
Mohollen.laura@Epa.gov
Bulletin Board
- Proposed Plan OU-2 - September 2012 (PDF) (33 pp, 2.12MB)
Questions
The EPA is dedicated to providng you with timely and accurate information about our work at this site. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Carrie Deitzel
215-814-5525
or 1-800-553-2509 x45525
On This Page
Related Links
Site Status
- The EPA completed the design phase on 9/30/2012 for the Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) portion of the cleanup, which will include 1) regrading and contouring on-site contaminated slag piles; 2) and mixing biosolids, or treated sewage sludge, from a local wastewater treatment to vegetate the biosolid cap.
- The biosolid cap, which will eventually cover 61 acres, and blend in with the natural environment, will reduce movement of metals in the groundwater and minimize runoff into the Shenango River, and reduce dust blowing from the slag.
- Additionally, the EPA completed a Proposed Plan for the Operable Unit 2 (OU-2) portion of the site on 9/17/12, which will consist of an asphalt cover to be placed on 33 acres of the site, so that the two businesses located there can operate safely.
Background
- The Sharon Steel Corp. Farrell Works Disposal Area site covers about 400 acres in Mercer County, including 100 acres of wetlands, located within a few hundred feet of the Ohio border.
- The site is southwest of the former Sharon Steel Corp. Farrell Works, and is bordered on the east by the Shenango River.
- Starting in about 1900, Sharon Steel used the area to dispose of several different types of slag and sludge.
- From 1949 to 1981, millions of gallons of spent pickle liquor acid were dumped over that slag, with the thought that the acid would partially evaporate and then be neutralized by the slag.
- The actual result was groundwater and soil being contaminated with metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, PCBs and pesticides.
Cleanup History
NPL Listing History
| Status: Final 1998 | Added: |
| Deleted: |
- The Phase 1 remedial investigation to pinpoint areas of soil and groundwater contamination was started in 1999 and completed in 2001.
- The investigation included an endangered species snake survey, sampling for contaminants of concern, in relation to human health risk in surface waste, surface soil, subsurface soil, residential well water, surface wells in groundwater and air.
- A Phase 2 investigation was done from 2002 to 2003 to fill data gaps from Phase 1, and added a wetland assessment, ecological characterization, biota assessment, and a sediment and hydro-geological assessment in the deeper groundwater aquifer.
- EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection finalized the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Report and the Proposed Plan for OU-1 which outlines the preferred cleanup options, in 2006.
- The Record of Decision, the formal document outlining the final cleanup plan was signed in November of 2006.
- The cleanup plan includes 1) regrading and contouring contaminated slag piles, and covering them with a biosolid cap, described above; 2) covering a portion of the site with an asphalt cover; and 3) long-term monitoring of groundwater and the Shenango River to ensure that the cleanup remedies are working.
- EPA is currently working on the Record of Decision for OU2 which selects an asphalt cap as the preferred cleanup option, where two businesses are located so that they can still operate safely.
Contaminants and Risks
- Contaminants detected in soil, slag, sludge and groundwater included metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides.
- Groundwater from the site flows away from the residential wells and toward the Shenango River. Therefore, the site groundwater does not impact residential wells.
- Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the environmental arm of the CDC.
Documents and Reports
- To search an on-line database of all documents and reports on the Sharon Steel Corporation (Farrell Works Disposal Area) site, go to EPA’s Administrative Record Database.
- All documents and reports can also be reviewed in person at these locations:
U.S. EPA Region III
1650 Arch Street-6th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 814-3157
Call for an appointment.
- Some of the site’s key documents of interest are accessible below.
Proposed Plan
- July, 2006 (PDF) (34 pp, 634KB)
- September, 2012 (PDF) (33 pp, 2.12MB)
ATSDR's Public Health Assessment
Sharon Steel Farrell Works Site - OU2 Proposed Plan Meeting - October 4, 2012 (PDF)(23 pp, 3.10MB)
- Submit a FOIA Request
Get instructions on how to submit a FOIA request. $Fee$ for requests over 100 pages.
Photos, Maps and Diagrams
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| Ponds on the southern half of the site. | Aerial View |
(Click on a thumbnail to enlarge the photo)
Community Information
- Tell us how to better engage with your community.
- Proposed Plan OU-2 - September 2012 (PDF) (33 pp, 2.12MB)
-
Fact Sheet
September, 2012 (PDF) (4 pp, 300K)
July, 2006 (PDF) (4 pp, 438k)
- Federal Register
July 3, 2000: Notice of Proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreements Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as Amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.
- Press Release
09/20/2000: Slag from Sharon Steel to be Reused Under Innovative Agreement
- Public Notice
07/26/2006: A Public Meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 from 6:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. at the Stey-Nevant Public Library, 1000 Roemer Boulevard, Farrell, PA. EPA
Reuse Information
- Want more information about how to reuse a Superfund site?
- A prospective purchaser, Farrell Slag, Inc., is currently reusing slag from the site to produce asphalt on the southern half of the site. This party has a beneficial reuse and mining permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that the asphalt use is carried out safely.