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| EAGLE PICHER CAREFREE BATTERY | Socorro, New Mexico | |
| Socorro County |
Site Location:
The Eagle Picher (EP) Carefree Battery facility is located approximately
two miles north of the town of Socorro in Socorro County, New Mexico.
The property is currently owned by the City of Socorro.
Site History:
The property was first owned by the U.S. government and was used as
Civilian Conservation Corps barracks in 1932. From 1936 to 1956, the
facility was a State of New Mexico tuberculosis sanitarium. Septic waste
from the sanitarium was discharged into unlined lagoons located in the
southeast portion of the property. After the sanitarium was closed, the
State gave the property to the City of Socorro. In 1964, the city sold
the property to EP. From 1964 until 1976, EP operated a printed circuit
board manufacturing plant on the property. Domestic sewage and
industrial waste from the circuit board operation was discharged into
the lagoons. From 1980 until the early 1990s, EP reoccupied the site and
produced non-automotive lead-acid batteries. The domestic lagoons were
used by EP until 1989, when the city installed a septic tank.
Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Chlorinated solvents detected at the site and in ground water down
gradient from the facility include tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethene
(TCE), 1,1-dichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1-dichloroethane,
1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloroethane. These solvents have been
detected in several municipal drinking water wells, domestic drinking
water wells, and monitoring wells located downgradient from the EP
facility. Concentrations of site contaminants have exceeded health-based
benchmarks in both residential wells and public supply wells.
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:
The City of Socorro relies solely on the shallow aquifer for its potable
water supply. Currently, the city is blending its water supply to lower
the concentrations of TCE below health-based Maximum Contamination Level
benchmarks.
Response Activities (to date):
In July 1999, the City of Socorro installed a city water line to provide
municipal water to the affected residences in the plume area. Additional
assessment activities are ongoing.
[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent FR notices.]
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.