Prestolite Battery Division

Overview

The Prestolite Battery Division site is an 18-acre former lead-acid battery manufacturing facility in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana. It operated from 1945 to 1985 and was added to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal government's list of priority Superfund cleanup sites, in October 1989. Today the site hosts commercial businesses including a home improvement center, restaurants, and a hotel, with eight on-site businesses employing 231 people as of December 2024.

Plant operations left soil contaminated with lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a group of industrial chemicals. Groundwater, sediment, and surface water were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals. Specific contaminants of concern include antimony and beryllium in groundwater, lead in sediment and surface water, and two chlorinated solvents, tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, in groundwater.

The cleanup remedy was selected in August 1994. It relies on deed restrictions to limit groundwater use, monitored natural attenuation (a process that lets natural conditions reduce contaminant levels over time), and temporary water supply replacement where needed. Remedial construction was completed in May 1997. In 2007, EPA reached an agreement with Honeywell International to remove lead-contaminated soil from the nearby Huffer's Garage Property, where lead exceeded the cleanup standard of 530 parts per million. About 6,750 tons of lead-stabilized soil were excavated and disposed of in a licensed landfill. The responsible party conducts annual sampling of groundwater, surface water, and sediment.

EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management completed the fifth five-year review in September 2021. That review found the remedy is currently protective of human health and the environment. Human exposure and groundwater migration are both under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Physical cleanup construction is complete for the entire site, though the site has not yet been deleted from the NPL and is not yet ready for all anticipated uses. The next five-year review is estimated for September to November 2026, and the site is estimated to reach sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse between September and November 2027.

Community members can comment on site conditions during the ongoing five-year review process. The EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager are available to answer questions.