Big John Salvage sits on 38 acres along the Monongahela River in Fairmont, West Virginia. The site was used for coal tar refining, salvage operations, and waste disposal starting in 1925. It was added to the EPA's (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's) National Priorities List (NPL), the Superfund list of the nation's most contaminated sites, in July 2000. Cleanup work has been underway for over two decades, but a final remedy has not yet been selected and construction has not been completed.
The site contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene, inorganic chemicals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene. These contaminants have been found in surface water, sediments, and soils. Current assessments show human exposure is under control across the site, but contaminated groundwater has not been stabilized and continues to migrate.
Three companies, Vertellus, Exxon Mobil, and CBS Corp., signed a consent decree in October 2012 to perform cleanup work and reimburse the EPA and state $11 million for past costs. Key actions so far include capturing and treating over 23.8 million gallons of contaminated water to prevent it from reaching the river, controlling tar seeps near surface water, and cleaning oily wastes from tributaries. The Army Corps of Engineers began designing the dredging and removal of contaminated river sediments in April 2017. Investigations in late 2019 found more contaminated sediment than the original 2010 plan anticipated, leading the EPA to sign an updated Action Memorandum in 2023 to expand the scope and add funding.
Community members have had several opportunities to participate in the process. EPA held a public comment period from November 23, 2022, through January 7, 2023, and an in-person public meeting on December 1, 2022, at the Armed Forces Reserve Center. Presentation materials and EPA's responses to public comments are available to the public. Resources such as the Big John Salvage Site Community Involvement Plan and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR's) Public Health Assessment provide additional background. In Fall 2023, EPA also began discussions with state, county, and city partners about potential future reuse of the site. Administrative records can be reviewed at the Marion County Public Library at 321 Monroe Street in Fairmont, or at EPA Region 3's office in Philadelphia by appointment.
