Scorpio Recycling, Inc. sits on six acres in Candeleria Ward, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. The facility began operating as a metal recycler in 1972. Battery crushing operations, which stopped in 1983, caused sulfuric acid and metal contamination in the soil. A sinkhole allowed contaminants to reach groundwater as well. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List, with sources placing that date in either October 1999 or February 2000.
EPA found ten contaminants of concern across soil and groundwater. Soil contains antimony, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc. Groundwater contains arsenic, chromium, and trichloroethene. Ecological receptors including invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals face potential adverse effects from contaminated surface soil. Cancer risks to child and adult residents in surface soil areas exceeded EPA's acceptable range. Non-cancer hazard values for subsurface soil also exceeded acceptable levels for construction workers.
Cleanup has moved in stages. Between 2002 and 2004, EPA removed about 15,000 tons of contaminated soil from the battery crushing area, treating it with trisodium phosphate before landfill disposal. Contamination still remains beneath a storage shed and parking lot and in large scrap pile areas not reached during those early actions. A 2006 Record of Decision selected no action for groundwater after investigators found it did not pose a public health risk. A 2013 Record of Decision addressed remaining soil contamination, calling for a gravel cover and institutional controls over the industrial and conservation areas. Remedial design wrapped up in September 2017. Soil cleanup construction started in September 2024 and is expected to finish between September and November 2028. EPA has determined that human exposure and groundwater migration are currently under control, though physical construction is not yet complete.
One business already operates at the site, employing five people and generating roughly $928,000 in annual sales as of December 2024. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List or achieved sitewide ready-for-reuse status.
Community members can get involved through public meetings and informational flyers that EPA has distributed. The most recent meeting covered the remedial design phase. There is no Community Advisory Group at this site. For questions, residents can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
