Van Dale Junkyard sits on 31 acres in Washington County, Marietta, Ohio. From the early 1960s through roughly 20 years of operation, the facility accepted scrap metal, appliances, automobiles, tires, batteries, and thousands of drums of industrial waste. Those operations left soil, groundwater, and sediment contaminated with a wide range of chemicals. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986, officially marking it as a priority for federal cleanup.
EPA has identified 43 contaminants of concern at the site. They include volatile organic compounds such as tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. Heavy metals found at the site include arsenic, cadmium, and lead, among others. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene and naphthalene are also present, along with bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate. These substances have been detected in soil, groundwater, and sediment.
The cleanup plan was finalized in March 1994. Work under that plan included installing a hazardous waste cap, excavating roughly 9,000 cubic yards of contaminated material for off-site disposal or on-site containment, and using monitored natural attenuation to address groundwater. Construction wrapped up in July 2000. EPA has overseen operation and maintenance activities since February 2002. A remedial investigation and feasibility study is estimated for August through October 2027 for the site cleanup operable unit.
EPA completed its most recent five-year review in February 2024. That review concluded the remedy currently protects human health and the environment. Human exposure pathways are under control across the entire site, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site reached "sitewide ready for anticipated reuse" status in July 2021, meaning all cleanup goals for current and expected future land uses have been met and required land-use controls are in place. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL. EPA is also working with potentially responsible parties to develop a sampling plan for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and 1,4-dioxane to make sure long-term protection stays in place.
Community members who want to stay informed or ask questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Documentation about the site's history, investigations, and regulatory actions is also publicly available through EPA's Superfund records system, including an administrative record containing 84 documents.
