Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
WARREN COUNTY
KINGS MILLS

Congressional District # 02

PETERS CARTRIDGE FACTORY

EPA ID# OHD987051083
Last Updated: November, 2007

Site Description

The Peters Cartridge Facotry Site is a partially abandoned manufacturing facility located at 1415 Grandin Road, Kings Mills, Ohio. The site consists of two distinct areas. The first area, Area A, occupies approximaely 15 acres located in the floodplain and alnong the south valley wall of the Little Miami River (PRC 1996) The topography varies from approximately 620 to 730 feet above sea level. The site is bordered to the north by the Little Miami Scenic River Bikeway and the Little Miami River, to the east by Grandin Road, to the south by agricultural land at the top of the valley wall, and to the west by undeveloped bottom land along the river. The ground surface is predominantly covered by asphalt and/or concrete. The remaining unpaved portion is characterized by steep terrain and mature deciduous vegetation. The second area, Area B, is a 56 acre parcel of unimproved wooded land on the southern, west/southwestern and east/southeastern borders of the fifteen acre parcel.

The site buildings were constructed in 1916 as a munitions manufacturing facility known as the Peters Cartridge Company(Gannon 1985). The main site buildings are situated on the level ground next to the Little Miami River. The remnants of concrete bunkers and other buildings are scattered along steep slope of the valley wall along the southern part of the site. Three swales convey water down the steeply sloping valley wall into stom sewers that run beneathe the main buildings. The storm sewers are largely filled with debris. The site is presently occupied by several small businesses. The main buildings are in poor condition with most of the windows broken and roofs leaking.

Site Responsibility

The Remington Arms Company purchased the Peters Cartridge Compnay in 1934 and continued munitions manufactuin operations at the Site until 1944 when the Site was sold. The Remington Arms Company was acquired by E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company (DuPont Company). The DuPont Company, by reason of its ownership of Remington Arms, is jointly and severally liable for all investigation and cleanup activites at the site.

The site is being addressed through federal, state and potentially responsible parties actions.

Threats and Contaminants

An environmental assessment of Area A was conducted in 1987 during which on-site soils were sampled at depths of one, four, eight and twelve feet. Lead, copper and mercury contaminated soils were found near each bulding in Area A. The findings of lead copper and mercury contaminated soils is consistent with the manufacture of munitions.

Ohio EPA conducted and "Expaned Site Inspection" in 1999 during which soil, sediment, groundwater and fish tissue samples were collected from Area A. Lead contaminated groundwater was also detected in the on-site monitoring wells, and a release of copper into the Little Miami River was observed. Semivolatile, volatile and pesticide organic compounds were also detected in these soil samples. The sediment samples collected during this inspection detected the presence of lead.

Cleanup Progress

The DuPont Company signed an Admistrative Order on Consent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for Remedial Investigation/Feasibilty Study (RI/FS) on July 7, 2004.

The Remedial Investigation was conducted between August 2004 and December 2005.  DuPont has submitted a draft Remedial Investigation report to the U.S. EPA which is currently under review.  Additional sampling was performed during 2006.  A revised Remedial Investigation Report was submitted in September of 2007 and is currently under review by the EPA. 

Additionally, Ohio EPA conducted a Water Quality Study in 2007 along the Little Miami River (LMR) section that is adjacent to the Peters Cartridge Site (Site) in part, to determine whether there is any ecological impact on the LMR from the Site contaminants  The Study results were published on November 1, 2007 and the results from this study indicate that the Peters Cartridge Site is not causing impairment to the LMR.  

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
pamela molitor (molitor.pamela@epa.gov)
(312) 886-3543

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
patricia krause
(312) 886-9506

Site Profile Information

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