Summit National

Overview

Summit National is an 11.5-acre former coal strip mine in Deerfield Township, Ohio, that accepted industrial wastes from 1974 to 1978. Those wastes included oil, resin, paint and metal plating sludge, and flammable and chlorinated solvents. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. More than 150 chemicals have been identified as contaminants of concern, spread across groundwater, soil, surface water, sediments, and debris. Key contaminants include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, along with heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, and cyanide.

Cleanup construction ran in five phases from June 1993 to August 1995. Workers removed more than 17,000 drums and tanks and excavated 18,600 tons of contaminated soil, which was treated on-site using thermal treatment, tested, and backfilled under two feet of clean soil. Sixteen years of groundwater monitoring confirmed that contaminants were not migrating off-site above drinking water standards. In August 2022, the EPA removed the soil portion of the site from the NPL after determining that part of the cleanup was complete.

Groundwater, surface water, and sediments remain on the NPL and are still undergoing long-term cleanup. Human exposure is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Physical construction is complete across the entire site, and the site is considered ready for anticipated use.

The EPA completed its sixth five-year review in July 2023 and confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The review identified several follow-up actions: collecting groundwater samples to test for PFAS and 1,4-dioxane, further investigating the connection between groundwater and nearby surface water, and evaluating whether updated groundwater cleanup standards are needed. The next five-year review is estimated between July and September 2028.

Community members can review site records at the Reed Memorial Library at 167 E. Main Street in Ravenna, Ohio. Questions can be directed to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.