The former Exide Technologies facility at 2700 South Indiana Street in Vernon, California ran a lead-acid battery recycling and secondary smelting operation from 1922 until it closed in March 2014. Air emissions, inadequate containment, spills, and poor dust controls spread lead-contaminated particles into surrounding neighborhoods. In September 2024, EPA proposed adding the site to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal government's list of the most contaminated sites in the country. The site is in the early stages of the Superfund cleanup process.
Two contamination problems drive the Superfund designation. First, lead-impacted soil was found across a 1.7-mile area around the facility, with off-site concentrations ranging from 0.48 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 73,200 mg/kg. Other sources such as leaded fuel, lead-based paint, and past industrial activity also contributed. Second, groundwater monitoring since the 1980s has detected trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical solvent, in on-site wells. TCE levels in the south yard are more than three times background levels and four times higher than the federal limit allowed in public drinking water.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has been active at the site since 2013. DTSC ordered the facility to close and oversaw investigation, cleanup, and decontamination of the lead operations. It also runs a separate residential soil cleanup program, excavating lead-contaminated soil up to 18 inches deep. As of June 2024, DTSC had cleaned up 5,207 properties and expected to reach roughly 5,940 by June 2025. On the EPA side, an initial site assessment was completed in September 2022. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study began in July 2023 and is ongoing. That study will assess the full extent of contamination and lay out cleanup options. No remedy has been selected yet.
Community members had a chance to comment on the proposed NPL listing during a public comment period that ran from September 5 through December 4, 2024. In June 2025, EPA issued a Notice of Data Availability and released a Technical Memorandum for an additional 30-day comment period, covering questions about TCE's source at the site and how groundwater layers connect beneath it. EPA will respond to all comments before making a final decision on the NPL listing. If the site is added to the NPL, EPA plans to develop a Community Involvement Plan to address community concerns and guide cleanup activities.
