Standard Steel & Metal Salvage Yard (USDOT)

Overview

The Standard Steel and Metals Salvage Yard covers 6.2 acres in Anchorage, Alaska. The U.S. Department of Transportation has owned the land since the 1920s and leased it to metal recycling and salvaging businesses from 1955 until 1993. Those operations handled electrical transformers and batteries, releasing hazardous substances into the soil. Transformer oil was improperly buried or burned on the property.

EPA identified four contaminants of concern, all found in soil. They are 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), Aroclor 1260, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). EPA determined that these substances posed unacceptable risks to human health and the environment based on the amounts present and the potential for people and wildlife to be exposed.

Cleanup began in 1986 with a removal action that pulled out PCB-contaminated oil, drums of hazardous waste, and thousands of pounds of lead-acid batteries. A long-term remedy was selected in 1996. It included excavating contaminated soil and sealing it in an on-site landfill with protective layering, drainage, and flood protection. An erosion control wall along Ship Creek was replaced with native vegetation and artificial logs. Construction finished in September 1999, and EPA deleted the site from the National Priorities List in September 2002. Groundwater monitoring wells were decommissioned in 2018 and groundwater sampling has been discontinued.

Human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is under control, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Physical construction of the cleanup is complete across the entire site. All cleanup goals for current and expected future land uses have been met and required land-use restrictions are in place. The Alaska Railroad Corporation owns the property and leases most of it to Central Recycling Services, Inc. for construction and demolition waste recycling. A five-year review was completed in April 2023, and the next is estimated for April through June 2028.

Community members who have observations or concerns about the site can contact the EPA Project Manager. The Community Involvement Coordinator is also available to answer questions about the site.