New Castle Steel is a three-acre landfill in New Castle, Delaware that accepted foundry wastes from the Deemer Steel Company from 1907 to 1987. Starting in 1973, dust collected by a baghouse air-filtration system was mixed with black sand and spread across the disposal area until 1980. That practice contaminated soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water with hazardous chemicals. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal register of priority Superfund sites, in 1983.
A remedial investigation began in January 1981. State authorities oversaw that work through mid-1986, then EPA took over through March 1988. The final remedy, a "No Action" Record of Decision (ROD) for the landfill, was issued on March 31, 1988. That decision determined no further physical cleanup was needed. Construction activities wrapped up by August 17, 1988, and the site was deleted from the NPL on March 17, 1989, after cleanup goals were confirmed to be met.
EPA completed two five-year reviews to make sure the remedy stayed protective over time. The most recent, finished in June 2001, confirmed the site continued to protect human health and the environment. The site later closed under Delaware's Voluntary Cleanup Program in 2006, and by January 2008 it reached sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status. No further five-year reviews are required. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control oversaw the remedy completion, and EPA has determined that contamination levels fall within acceptable health-based limits. Human exposure is under control, groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water.
Today, two businesses operate on the site, employing nine people and generating about $1.1 million in annual sales revenue. Community members who want more information can review the site's Administrative Record, which contains 52 remedial documents and 8 deletion-related documents. Those records are available online or in person at the U.S. EPA Region III Public Reading Room at 1650 Arch Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 215-814-3157. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also has additional resources on contaminants and health risks.
