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United Metals, Inc.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Removal action cleanup at United Metals site (source: OSC.net)
- Additional Site Photos 
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: FLD098924038Location: Marianna, Jackson County, Florida
Lat/Long: 30.685830, -085.168050
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 9/30/02; Final: 04/30/03
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil
Cleanup Status: Physical cleanup activities are underway
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: Yes
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: No
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Joe Alfano (alfano.joe@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The United Metals, Inc. (UMI) site includes the area where a battery reclaiming facility operated from 1979 until 1991. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2003 because of contaminated soil and ground water resulting from facility operations. EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site. A water line connects residences and businesses to the public water supply. By treating ground water and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA and FDEP continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 180-acre site is located in Marianna, Florida, and includes approximately 24 acres where a battery reclaiming facility operated from 1979 until 1991. A chain link fence surrounds this area. A large agricultural field borders the site to the north and woodlands border the site to the south, east and west. The nearest residence is less than a mile northwest of the site.
Facility operations, including lead-acid battery recycling, began in 1979. Facility operations reclaimed lead from batteries, shredded the lead cases and sent the materials off site. Anrich Industries, Inc. purchased the UMI business and property in 1989. After renovations, the company restarted the battery recycling facility in 1991, but had to close the facility in 1992 after numerous RCRA violations. In 1998, Faircloth Properties, Inc. purchased the property through a tax sale for delinquent taxes. The property was sold again in 2012. In 2003, EPA listed the site on the NPL. The site is currently unused.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in ground water, sediment and soil that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from waste handling practices at the site. Contaminants of concern identified include lead, arsenic and other metals.
Contamination affected the upper level of the ground water aquifer. Contamination also spread to a small area north of the site boundary. Contamination has not been identified in wells on or off site.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
EPA leads site investigation and cleanup activities, in cooperation with FDEP.
Site Cleanup Plan
In 2006, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for the site. The plan included the following activities:
- Removing contamination and demolishing buildings and other structures on site.
- Digging up, stabilizing and solidifying contaminated soil, sediments and concrete building debris.
- Placing the stabilized/solidified materials in a containment area on site.
- Filling in dug-up areas with clean soil.
- Installing a cap over the containment area.
- Placing 1.5 feet of clean soil over the site.
- Restoring remediated wetlands.
- Placing institutional controks on the site property to limit land uses and to restrict the installation of irrigation equipment or wells in the contaminated ground water area without the prior notification and approval of EPA and FDEP.
- Using monitored natural attenuation to address ground water contamination.
In 2010, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) to explain why the Agency had changed allowable contamination levels for solidified/stabilized materials.
Cleanup Progress
In 1996, EPA conducted a short-term cleanup at the site. EPA removed six 55-gallon drums, cut open a 6,000-gallon storage tank, solidified several hundred gallons of sulfuric acid sludge and disposed of the solidified sludge off site. EPA conducted site investigations and studies from 2002 until 2006 and in 2006, conducted additional cleanup activities. Cleanup activities included separating soil and debris from the 2,500-cubic-yard waste pile and disposing of approximately 400 cubic yards debris at a hazardous waste landfill. EPA treated the remaining soil in the waste pile and disposed of it at an off-site landfill.
Additional information on this removal action can be found on OSC.net.
The PRP conducted phase one of cleanup plan activities, including installation of an air monitoring system, in 2009. The PRP conducted phase two of cleanup plan activities in 2010. Activities included installing monitoring wells to conduct monitored natural attenuation for site ground water. The PRP consolidated remaining contaminated soil and sediment in a gated and locked containment cell on site.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site’s PRP. EPA and the PRP conducted site investigations and cleanup activities primarily using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The $7.4 million in ARRA funding allowed for completion of soil and sediment cleanup activities and resulted in the creation of 42 jobs during the cleanup action.
The ROD online provides additional information on specific legal agreements for the site.
Community Involvement
EPA has worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public notices, interviews and information meetings.
Future Work
Ground water monitoring is ongoing at the site. EPA plans to place institutional controls on the site property to limit on-site land uses and placement of wells.
EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2009 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2014.
Additinal Information
EPA keeps additional site documents and information in a site information repository at the location below. EPA also posts site documents, when available, on EPA’s CERCLIS Site Profile page. For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.
Site Repository
Jackson County Public Library
2928 Green Street
Marianna, FL 32446