Arcanum Iron & Metal is a 4.5-acre former lead battery reprocessing facility located near Arcanum in Darke County, Ohio. The facility operated from the early 1960s to 1982. During that time, battery casings were split to extract lead cores for smelting, battery acid drained into a low area on site, lead oxide sludge collected on the ground surface, and lead-contaminated materials were buried in on-site pits. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983.
EPA identified three contaminants of concern at the site: antimony, arsenic, and lead. These substances were found in soil, sediment, solid waste, surface water, groundwater, and debris across the site. The main health risk came from people coming into contact with contaminants in soil and debris. Groundwater monitoring showed that groundwater was not contaminated, and the site is not classified as a groundwater site.
Cleanup was carried out by potentially responsible parties under state and federal oversight. The work included consolidating soil and debris, treating contaminated materials on site, and disposing of contaminated soil and debris off site. Excavated areas were backfilled with clean soil, and the site was fenced. An initial removal action ran from August 1983 to August 1984. Remedial action began in August 1999 and finished in December 1999. The remedy was updated along the way. The original cleanup plan from September 1986 called for decontamination, excavation, treatment, and off-site disposal. A 1997 amendment modified the approach to include capping, solidification and stabilization, off-gas treatment, and on-site recycling.
EPA deleted the site from the National Priorities List on August 31, 2001. Human exposure is under control, meaning there are no unacceptable exposure pathways at the site. All cleanup goals have been met for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses. Required land-use restrictions and other controls are in place. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status on June 26, 2006.
Community members or others with questions about the site can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager.
