Fields Brook

Overview

Fields Brook is a 6-square-mile watershed near Ashtabula, Ohio, about 55 miles east of Cleveland. Up to 19 industrial facilities have operated there since 1940, leaving brook sediment, floodplain soil, and groundwater contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated solvents, and heavy metals. The brook flows into the Ashtabula River, which reaches Lake Erie about one and a half miles downstream. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 8, 1983, making it eligible for federal Superfund cleanup funding.

More than 150 chemicals have been identified as contaminants of concern at the site. Heavy metals include arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and others. Chlorinated chemicals such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride are present, along with PCBs, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, phenols, and radioactive substances including radium-226, radium-228, and uranium isotopes. These contaminants appear in soil, groundwater, sediment, and debris across multiple areas of the site.

Cleanup is organized into eleven operable units, each targeting a distinct area or problem. Major actions have included excavation of contaminated sediment, floodplain soil, and source areas. The nearby Ashtabula River was cleaned up between 2006 and 2013. At the Detrex Corp. facility, recovery wells remove a dense liquid containing high concentrations of trichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene, and hexachlorobutadiene. About 40,000 gallons of this liquid have been removed in total, including roughly 10,000 gallons recovered after a 2014 plan modification. A removal action at the Detrex facility ran from October 2022 to July 2024. Most other remedial work was completed between 2000 and 2008.

Current assessments show that human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified at this time. However, physical construction is not yet complete sitewide, and the site has not been deleted from the NPL. The groundwater contamination migration status cannot be determined due to insufficient data on how contaminated groundwater moves through the site. The most recent five-year review was completed on June 11, 2024, and confirmed the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment. Four businesses currently operate on parts of the site, employing 70 people and generating about $12.7 million in annual sales.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available for public review at the Ashtabula County District Library at 335 W. 44th Street and Kent State Library at 3431 W. 13th Street, both in Ashtabula, Ohio.