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NPL Site Narrative for Prestolite Battery Division
PRESTOLITE BATTERY DIVISION
Vincennes, Indiana
Federal Register Notice: October 4, 1989Conditions at proposal (September 18, 1985): Prestolite Battery Division manufactures lead acid batteries on a 17.5-acre site in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana. In 1945, Prestolite, a division of Allied Corp. of Ohio, purchased the property from Eltra Corp., which is no longer in existence.
About 30.9 tons of hazardous wastes in the form of spills and uncontained piles are on the site, according to the State. Analyses conducted by a consultant to Prestolite detected high levels (up to 25,000 parts per million) of lead in on-site soil, threatening ground water. PCBs and sulfuric acid were also found in on-site soil. About 20,000 people depend on wells within 3 miles of the site as a source of drinking water.
Other portions of the Prestolite facility are regulated under other Federal laws. A waste water lagoon on the site received Interim Status under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when Prestolite filed Part A of a permit application. Instead of seeking an operating permit, the company has decided to close the lagoon. Its closure plan is being reviewed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
When the waste water lagoon overflows, the contents go into the Vincennes sewer system. Storm water run-off from the facility enters Kelso Creek, which flows into the Wabash River. These waste water discharges are regulated under the Clean Water Act.
Status (June 24, 1988): EPA is proposing to place this previously proposed RCRA site on the final NPL. Much of the lead in soil comes from air emissions from the company's faulty air pollution control equipment. At this time, there is an unresolved question as to whether Subtitle C corrective action authorities of RCRA apply to all the contamination associated with the site. Hence, EPA proposes to deal with the problems under Superfund.
In January 1987, the State started a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action.
After numerous revisions, IDEM approved the company's closure plan on December 30, 1987.
Status (October 4, 1989): EPA has placed this site on the NPL.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.