Carter Industrials, Inc. was a 3.5-acre storage and salvage facility in Detroit, Michigan. It operated from 1966 to 1986. Spills, runoff, and wind-blown dust spread contaminants across the property, into about 1.25 miles of combined sewers, and onto nearby commercial, public, and residential properties. People and vehicles also tracked contaminants into the surrounding neighborhood. The site has since been deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal government's roster of priority hazardous waste sites.
EPA (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) identified 13 contaminants of concern in soil at the site. These include metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Chlorinated organic compounds are also present, including 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, and pentachlorobenzene. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), xylene, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons including benzo[a]anthracene and pyrene were also detected. All contamination is in soil and building materials, organized under a single cleanup area called Operable Unit 1.
Cleanup work began in June 1986 with EPA removal actions. Those initial efforts ran through May 1989, followed by oversight of additional removal work through June 1995. EPA then completed a remedial investigation and feasibility study, selected a cleanup remedy in September 1991, and revised that remedy in February 1995. The updated approach focused on excavation, decontamination, off-site disposal, and solidification/stabilization of contaminated soil and debris. Construction of the final cleanup was completed on June 11, 1996. Federal and state agencies carried out the work alongside responsible parties.
The site met residential cleanup standards, and EPA deleted it from the NPL on March 25, 1997. Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site. There are no unacceptable exposure pathways, physical construction is complete, all cleanup goals for current and anticipated future land uses have been met, and required land-use controls are in place. The site is not a groundwater contamination site.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. Documentation for the site, including a collection of key documents and an administrative record of 248 documents, is available through EPA's Superfund records system for public review.
