Brown's Battery Breaking

Overview

Brown's Battery Breaking is a 14-acre former battery recycling facility in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania that operated from 1961 to 1971. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in 1986 after finding elevated lead levels in children living at the site. The property sits within the Schuylkill River flood plain, bordered by the river and Mill Creek. About 220 people live within one mile, and 1,000 people within three miles rely on groundwater for drinking water.

Lead is the primary contaminant, found in soil, groundwater, and solid waste. Groundwater also contains a range of other metals, including aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, and zinc, along with other dissolved substances. People could be exposed by ingesting contaminated soil or groundwater, eating fish from the Schuylkill River, or breathing contaminated dust. EPA has confirmed that human exposure is currently under control and that there are no unacceptable pathways for people to contact contamination across the site.

Cleanup was organized into three operable units. The first covered resident relocation and site fencing, completed between 1991 and 1995. The second addressed soil and groundwater remediation. After an original plan for thermal soil treatment proved infeasible, on-site stabilization with off-site disposal was used instead. Exide Corp. completed soil and battery casing removal by summer 2003, with grading finished in October 2003. Groundwater treatment using sodium bicarbonate injection has been ongoing since 2005, most recently in 2020, to raise pH and reduce metal solubility. Because Exide declared bankruptcy in May 2020, EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are evaluating options for continuing groundwater treatment and monitoring.

The site reached ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in August 2011. Buildings on site now serve as office and work space, with at least one business operating there as of December 2024. Zoning restrictions limit the property to industrial use only, preventing residential use that could expose people to remaining contamination. The 2022 Five-Year Review confirmed the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment in the short term, contingent on continued groundwater treatment and compliance with institutional controls. The next Five-Year Review is scheduled for September 2027.

Region 3 is also evaluating how EPA's October 2025 updated guidance on residential lead exposure applies to this site and will share information with affected communities as recommendations develop. Community members can engage through EPA's Community Involvement Program. For site-specific questions, residents can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.