Shaffer Equipment/Arbuckle Creek Area

Overview

The Shaffer Equipment/Arbuckle Creek Area site sits in Minden, West Virginia, where a company manufactured electrical substations for the coal mining industry from 1970 to 1984. Leaks, spills, and dumping of transformers and capacitors left polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil and sediment on the former Shaffer Equipment Company property and in nearby Arbuckle Creek, including areas within New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in May 2019.

PCBs are the contaminant of concern at this site. They have been found in buildings, structures, and soil within Operable Unit 01 (OU 01), and in soil and sediment in other areas of the site. Current sampling results do not indicate an immediate threat to human health, but EPA determined that long-term contact with PCBs could pose health risks and that further evaluation is needed. Groundwater migration is under control, meaning the spread of contaminated groundwater has been stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water.

EPA conducted three removal actions between 1985 and 2002, excavating contaminated soils, capping remaining material with an impervious cover, and installing sheet pile cutoff walls and monitoring wells to prevent PCBs from spreading offsite. After community concerns arose in 2017, EPA collected additional soil and sediment samples through 2018. EPA then completed Remedial Investigation Phase I sampling in March 2020 and Phase II sampling from July 2021 through September 2022, testing for PCBs, metals, pesticides, volatile organics, semi-volatile organics, and dioxins and furans. A Record of Decision for OU 01 was issued on July 8, 2024, selecting excavation of contaminated soil, offsite disposal, dewatering, incineration of some materials, onsite treatment of residuals, and groundwater monitoring. Remedial action for OU 01 is estimated to begin between January and March 2028.

A separate Proposed Cleanup Plan for Operable Unit 02 (OU 02), covering other soil and sediment areas, is open for public comment from May 21, 2026 through June 20, 2026. The preferred remedy for OU 02 involves excavating contaminated soil and sediment, transporting it to an approved offsite disposal facility, and backfilling with clean fill. A public meeting will be held on June 2, 2026 at 6 p.m. at the Minden Community Center/New Beginning Apostolic Church, 179 McKinney Road, Minden, WV 25901.

Community members can also access two no-cost technical assistance programs. The Technical Assistance Services for Communities program provides scientists and engineers to review and explain site information. The Technical Assistance Grant program awards funding to nonprofit community groups so they can hire independent technical advisors, with recipients contributing a 20 percent match. Site documents are available at the Oak Hill Public Library in Oak Hill, West Virginia, and at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.