Ordnance Works Disposal Areas

Overview

The Ordnance Works Disposal Areas site sits in Monongalia County, West Virginia, covering about 106 acres. It includes a six-acre landfill and a manufacturing area where DuPont and the U.S. Department of Defense produced chemicals starting in 1941. The Monongahela River, which supplies drinking water to roughly 60,000 county residents, runs less than a mile downstream. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1986.

Contamination spread into soils, sediments, solid waste, and groundwater. The main contaminants include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic, mercury, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The site was divided into two operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers the Morgantown Disposal Area, where heavy metals and PAHs concentrated around the landfill and former lagoon. Operable Unit 2 covers the Industrial Area, where PAHs, lead, mercury, and PCBs were mostly found in concrete-lined sumps and pits.

Cleanup work unfolded in stages. The Industrial Area underwent a removal action from September 1996 through July 1997, which included off-site disposal of contaminated soil and sediments, removal of debris from sumps and pits, and site restoration. For the Disposal Area, the final remedy selected in 1999 called for thermal treatment of tar-like material, consolidation of contaminated soils into an on-site landfill, and covering that landfill with a multi-layer cap. Construction finished in September 2003. EPA also repaired wetlands along the Monongahela River that were disturbed during cleanup. Chemical companies continue groundwater and surface water monitoring under EPA guidance.

EPA assessments confirm that human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site was deleted from the National Priorities List on August 21, 2018, after EPA and the state confirmed all cleanup goals were met. Institutional controls restrict groundwater use, protect the landfill cap, and prohibit non-commercial activities in the Disposal Area. Zoning rules also prevent residential and other incompatible land uses. The 2021 Five-Year Review confirmed the remedy continues to protect public health and the environment, and the next review is scheduled for between September and November 2026.

Community members who want to learn more or get involved can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents, fact sheets, and an Operation and Maintenance plan are available for public review. Physical copies of the administrative record are kept at the Morgantown Public Library at 373 Spruce Street in Morgantown and at the U.S. EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia.