EPA Hosts Public Meeting on Peck Iron and Metal Superfund Site
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (April 9, 2026) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Mid-Atlantic Region held a public meeting on Wednesday evening to update the Portsmouth community on current field work and next steps regarding cleanup efforts at the Peck Iron and Metal Superfund site.
"EPA is committed to protecting the health and well-being of the Portsmouth community," said EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey. "We are working closely with our state and local partners, as well as local residents, to ensure they have timely, accurate, and thorough information about our work at this site.”
The meeting took place at Portsmouth City Hall and provided residents with an open forum to discuss the project status, removal actions, and how to reduce risks to residents and the environment. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) also announced upcoming updates to the Public Health Assessment, as requested by the community.
More than 40 community members attended the discussion and asked questions throughout the meeting. Representatives from EPA, as well as VDH, provided responses and information to address concerns.
CAPTION: EPA Region 3 representatives speak to community members of Portsmouth, Va., during a public meeting April 8 at the Portsmouth City Hall. EPA held the meeting to provide updates on the ongoing cleanup efforts at the Peck Iron and Metal Superfund site.
Background:
The Peck Iron and Metal Site, located in Portsmouth, VA, includes the Peck property, the Sherwin-Williams property, and surrounding areas (such as Paradise Creek) where hazardous substances associated with past operations at the Peck facility have come to be located. The 33-acre site is an inactive scrap metal recovery facility. The business purchased and processed metal scrap from military bases, other governmental entities and local businesses, including electric power and rail companies. Items processed included electrical transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead/acid batteries, components of naval vessels, aircraft and tanks, insulated copper cables and demilitarized ordnance. Some of the items handled at the facility may have contained radioactive material, specifically radium-226. Radium-226 was used to produce items such as luminous (self-illuminated) instrument dials and watch faces. Early investigations at the site also found that the soil is contaminated with PCBs and heavy metals, including arsenic, chromium and lead. The site was added to the Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL) on November 4, 2009.
Work and investigations at the site have been broken down into two Operable Units. OU1 focuses on source control, which encompasses all soils, fill material, and estuarine wetland sediments on or near the site, including areas that continue releasing contaminants. OU2 focuses on the groundwater, Paradise Creek and the adjoining tidal wetlands outside the site property boundary impacted by releases of hazardous substances from the Peck property.
In 2024, the site was cleared of overgrowth, and a comprehensive radiological survey was conducted of the ground surface. Multiple small objects were identified to be coated with paint containing radium-226. These items were collected and transported off-site for safe disposal.
The discovery of live munitions in January 2024 temporarily halted digging activities until a safety plan was developed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was completed that summer. Due to the added complexity from the safety plan, the original remedy for OU1 may no longer be practical, prompting the EPA to develop a Focused Feasibility Study to explore alternative cleanup options. The study is expected to be finalized by winter 2026, potentially leading to a revised cleanup plan.
EPA recently updated the Peck Iron & Metal Superfund website and included a fact sheet with more information - www.epa.gov/superfund/peck [epa.gov]
To learn more about EPA activity throughout the Mid-Atlantic, visit our regional website or follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
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