Continental Steel Corp. ran a 183-acre steel manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana from 1914 to 1986, producing nails, wire, and wire fence from scrap steel. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1989. The facility left behind widespread contamination in soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. The site is organized into six operable units covering groundwater, lagoon areas, creeks, quarries, the main plant, and slag areas.
Contaminants of concern include heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, silver, and zinc. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichloroethene, and antimony have also been detected across multiple areas of the site. Lead contamination turned up in some nearby residential soils as well.
Cleanup actions included removing underground storage tanks and asbestos-containing material, consolidating and covering soil, dredging sediment, capping the slag processing area, and running a groundwater extraction and soil vapor extraction system. In April 2009, EPA awarded nearly $6 million in federal recovery funding that sped up work on the slag area and groundwater, and created at least 45 temporary jobs. Major construction wrapped up by August 2013. Long-term groundwater monitoring continued through November 2023, and the next five-year review is estimated between August and October 2027. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List.
Human exposure is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions, remain in place to prevent residential development and other incompatible land uses. A five-year review completed in August 2022 confirmed that response actions protect human health and the environment in the short term, but groundwater extraction and monitoring must continue for long-term protection.
The site has seen substantial redevelopment. A 21,000-panel solar farm with 6.5 megawatts of capacity was built at the main plant between fall 2015 and spring 2016. The Kokomo Soccer Club uses the former Acid Lagoon Area for practices, games, and tournaments. The City of Kokomo converted the Markland Quarry into a stormwater retention basin and operates a wastewater treatment plant on the property. Three on-site wind turbines offset at least half the energy needed for ongoing groundwater treatment. Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager.
