The Pacific Hide & Fur Recycling Co. site covers 17 acres on the northwestern edge of Pocatello, Idaho. From the late 1950s to 1983, a metal salvaging operation disposed of scrap metal, vehicles, and electrical transformers into a gravel pit on the property. Those transformers contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. The site sits near drinking water wells serving roughly 45,000 people in Pocatello.
EPA identified six contaminants of concern: arsenic, beryllium, lead, and PCBs. Lead turned up in both soil and groundwater across two cleanup areas. PCBs were found in soil, and arsenic and beryllium were found in soil within the lead contamination area. EPA evaluated potential exposure pathways for people and the environment before selecting cleanup methods for each contaminant.
EPA divided cleanup into two operable units. The first addressed PCB contamination. An initial cleanup plan was selected in June 1988, and an amended plan in April 1992 added incineration, off-site disposal, and decontamination to the approach. The responsible party completed that work in 1993. The second operable unit addressed lead contamination. A cleanup plan was selected in September 1995 and called for excavation, treatment, containment, and institutional controls. That work ran through 1999, with additional sitewide soil cleanup finishing in 1997. A removal action by EPA also took place earlier, in early 1983.
The site was proposed to the National Priorities List in September 1983, added in September 1984, and deleted in November 1999. Human exposure at the site is under control. All cleanup goals for current and future land uses have been met, required land-use controls are in place, and no unacceptable risks remain. EPA determined no five-year reviews are required. Today, Pacific Steel and Recycling, Inc. operates on the property, employing 21 people and generating an estimated $13.7 million in annual sales as of December 2024.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. The Community Involvement Coordinator is also available through EPA.
