The Price Battery plant in Hamburg, Pennsylvania broke open battery casings and smelted lead plates from roughly 1940 until the mid-1990s. An on-site smelter, dismantled in 1971, spread lead emissions into surrounding neighborhoods. Lead-contaminated battery waste was also used as fill material across the borough. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in April 2005. The site is divided into four operable units (OUs), each targeting a different cleanup area: sitewide issues, soil, the former facility itself, and ecological concerns.
The main contaminants are lead, arsenic, and antimony, found in soil, sediment, and buildings. Lead is the most widespread, detected across both residential and ecological areas. These substances exceed EPA cleanup standards in soil, creek sediments, and floodplain areas along Kaercher Creek and Mill Creek.
Cleanup has moved in stages. Starting in November 2002, EPA addressed lead-contaminated soil at residential properties. By 2015, roughly 555 properties had been cleaned through soil excavation and interior cleaning. At the former facility, excavation of contaminated soils ran from September 2018 to September 2019, removing about 7,975 cubic yards of material. That OU has been under state operation and maintenance since October 2020. In June 2023, EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for ecological concerns, calling for excavation of contaminated sediment from Mill Creek and Kaercher Creek and soils in the Kaercher Creek floodplain. Remedial design for that work is estimated to wrap up between April and June 2028, with remedial action beginning between June and August 2028. Soil remedial action for remaining areas is estimated to begin between September and November 2027.
EPA completed its most recent five-year review in July 2025. That review found that a determination on cleanup effectiveness cannot be made until additional information is gathered, and EPA is actively working to collect it. Human exposure at the residential areas is described as under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized. However, physical construction is not yet complete and the site has not achieved sitewide readiness for reuse. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions and a borough property registry, limit exposure to remaining contamination and inform potential buyers about each property's cleanup status. In October 2025, EPA announced updated national guidance on residential lead exposure and is evaluating how it applies to this site.
Community members can get involved through EPA's 2026 Community Involvement Plan. Questions can be directed to the Community Involvement Coordinator, John Brakeall, or the Remedial Project Manager, Michael Debonis. Site records are available at the Hamburg Public Library at 35 North Third Street or at the EPA Region III office in Philadelphia, with appointments required at both locations.
