The Sharon Steel Corp (Fairmont Coke Works) site covers about 97 acres in Fairmont, West Virginia, roughly 64 of which were used for coke manufacturing and coal tar processing. It was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in December 1996, making it eligible for federal Superfund cleanup funding. The site has also been known as the Exxon Fairmont Coke Works, Sharon Steel Tank Spill, and Sharon Steel-Fairmont Coke.
Contamination affects soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water. EPA identified 33 contaminants of concern, including 14 metals such as arsenic, lead, and manganese, along with organic compounds like benzene and benzo(a)pyrene, and cyanide in groundwater. Coke production left the ground contaminated with phenol, benzene, coal tar, toluene, and xylene, among other hazardous substances.
Cleanup has moved through several stages. From 1993 to 1996, EPA conducted emergency removal actions, pulling out nearly 1,000 tons of coke sludge, over 221,000 gallons of wastewater, 34,382 tons of oxidation pond sludge, and 60 pounds of mercury. Between 2008 and 2010, ExxonMobil excavated the North and South Landfills, processing nearly 500,000 tons of waste into synthetic coal fuel burned for electricity. EPA issued a final cleanup plan in December 2017. ExxonMobil agreed in March 2019 to carry it out. A pilot treatment system began operating in late 2021 to test a limestone trench approach designed to neutralize acidic groundwater and reduce metal and benzene levels before discharge to a nearby tributary. Remedial design work began in September 2018 and is expected to finish between June and August 2026, when active cleanup construction is scheduled to start and run through late 2028.
Human exposure is currently under control with no unacceptable risks to people on site today. However, ecological risks remain. Groundwater with low pH and elevated aluminum and iron is discharging to an unnamed tributary. Sediment in wetlands contains arsenic, cadmium, copper, manganese, and zinc at levels that pose unacceptable risk to birds. Institutional controls prohibit residential use and ban groundwater extraction for drinking water. Any future buildings in certain areas must use standard construction methods to prevent vapor intrusion from benzene-contaminated groundwater.
Community members can get involved through several channels. EPA held a public meeting on February 17, 2026 to discuss a proposed plan that would inject sodium bicarbonate into contaminated groundwater areas. Presentation slides and a fact sheet are available online. A Fairmont Community Liaison Panel meets regularly to discuss site activities, and the Community Involvement Plan was updated in March 2020. Physical records are available at the Marion County Public Library in Fairmont or, by appointment, at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia.
