Mid-Atlantic Superfund

EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)

Mercer County

EPA ID# PAD001933175

4th Congressional District

Last Update: March 2009

Other Names

None

Current Site Status

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is overseeing the cleanup of the Sharon Steel Farrell Works site. The Phase I Remedial Investigation (Phase I) has been completed. Phase I sampling activities included: soil, ground water monitoring wells, residential wells, slag, sludge, surface water and sediment. Health and ecological risk screening was performed using the Phase I results. EPA determined from the Phase I results that a Phase II Remedial Investigation (Phase II) would be needed to fill data gaps. The data gaps to be addressed during Phase II include: evaluating the deeper groundwater aquifer, collecting ecological samples, performing air modeling, establishing background concentrations of contaminants in the Site area, and obtaining data regarding ground water flow.

After Phase I, EPA met with local residents individually to discuss their residential well sampling results, provide fact sheets, respond to questions, and update the residents on the progress of the Remedial Investigation. Additionally, EPA met with Public Officials of Trumbull County (Ohio), Wheatland, West Middlesex, Farrell, Hermitage, and Shenango Township to brief the officials on the results from Phase I and to discuss the upcoming Phase II. EPA also met with the Ohio Health Department to discuss well sampling results for local residents who are living in Ohio. EPA briefed the Ohio Health Department on the presence of elevated metals in residential well samples and their possible natural occurrence.

EPA’s contractor and their sub-contractors have recently begun Phase II. Sampling in Phase II Remedial Investigation included installing monitoring wells in the deeper aquifer, collecting another round of residential well samples, taking soil samples, and taking biological samples. The EPA has received all data from the sampling and ecological and human health risk assessment has been completed. The EPA and PADEP is currently finalizing the draft Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study Report and finalizing the Proposed Plan for the Sharon Steel Site. EPA briefed public officials of the EPA preferred cleanup option for the Site. EPA also finished a fact sheet which summarized the EPA preferred alternative to the public. The Record of Decision was signed by EPA on 11-14-2006. The EPA preferred innovative alternative includes regrading and contouring the contaminated slag piles and mixing Class A biosolid from a local treatment plant and vegetaing the biosolid cap. The biosolid cap will reduce the mobility of the metals in the groundwater and minimize runoff into the Shenango River and minimize dust migration from the slag. The selected remedy described below is the response action for the OU-1 component of the site. The remedy addresses contaminated slag and sludge at the Site and includes the following major components:

I. Regrading, contouring and treatment of the slag and sludge source material with a Biosolid Cap. There is a phased approach planned for the implementation of the Biosolid Cap;

II. Stabilization of the eroded Shenango River banks;

III. Institutional controls to protect remedy, restrict land and groundwater use on Site;

IV. Design and implement a long-term monitoring plan for groundwater, surface water and sediment on Site for protection of human health and the environment and to evaluate remedy performance.

EPA acquired access from all parties associated with the northern portion of the Sharon Steel Site to complete the biosolids pilot scale study. The pilot study consists of four test plots on northern portion of the Site. Due to the coordinated efforts of EPA’s contractor and EPA personnel, the biosolids were applied in time for the 2007 growing season. ERT will be planting the plots with seeds this week. Biosolids are being used at the Site to remediate metal contaminated soils. A prior bench scale study was completed using the biosolids to determine the optimum percentage of biosolids required for treatment of the metal contaminated slag. This optimum percentage of biolsolids was applied during the recent pilot scale study. The EPA will be conducting a Sharon Steel Treatibility Study to evaluate further ammendments for the biosolid pilot scale at the Site. EPA in the future will be working on a workplan for some predesign work that will be done in the field for the biosolid cap. EPA is also working on a legal document with parties in the OU-2 portion of the Site to voluntarily clean these parcels with them because the biosolid OU-1 remedy will not work with these current owners' operations.

Site Description

The Sharon Steel Corporation Farrell Works Disposal Area site is an area of about 400 acres located in Mercer County in Western Pennsylvania, within a few hundred feet of the Ohio/Pennsylvania border. The site is southwest of the former Sharon Steel Corporation Farrell Works, and is bordered on the east by the Shenango River. Beginning about 1900, the Sharon Steel Corporation used the area to dispose of blast furnace slag, electric arc furnace slag, basic oxygen furnace slag, and sludge. From 1949 to 1981, millions of gallons of spent pickle liquor acid were dumped over the slag. It was thought that the acid would partially evaporate and then be neutralized by the carbonates in the slag. In actuality, groundwater contamination resulted. The site is located in the flood plain of the Shenango River, and there are several wetland areas on site.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through Federal actions.

NPL Listing History

Our country's most serious, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites can be cleaned using federal money. To be eligible for federal cleanup money, a site must be put on the National Priorities List. This site was proposed to the list on March 6, 1998 and formally added to the list on July 28, 1998..

Threats and Contaminants

Contaminants detected in soils, slag and sludge and groundwater on Site included metals, PAHs, PCBs and pesticides. Data evaluated in the Remedial Investigation also indicates that the groundwater flow in the aquifers on site are transporting site-related contamination away from the residents. In conclusion, contaminated groundwater from the Site is not impacting residential wells.

Contaminant descriptions and risk factors are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC.

Cleanup Progress

The Sharon Steel Superfund Site is a 400 acre Site with 100 acres of wetlands. The site is characterized by widespread deposits of slag with related waste materials from the Sharon Steel Manufacturing Plant with disposal of pickle liquor. A multimedia-phased fund lead investigation to pinpoint areas of contamination was conducted. The phase I remedial investigation was started September of 1999 and completed in April of 2001and included an endangered species snake survey and sampling for contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) in relation to human health risk in surface waste, subsurface waste, surface soil, subsurface soil, residential well water, surface wells in groundwater and air. The phase II remedial investigation was completed from August 2002 to May of 2003 to fill in data gaps from phase I and included COPCs regarding human health in surface water, wetland assessment, ecological characterization and biota assessment, sediment, and hydro geological assessment in the deeper aquifer of groundwater.

Local elected officials and the community of Farrell have been advised of EPA’s actions which will lead to remedial activities the site. Interest was shown by aggregate or road material producers in the on-Site slag material. EPA has issued two Prospective Purchase Agreements. Farrell Slag, Inc. (Farrell Slag) succeeded in purchasing the area on site, south of Ohio Street. Farrell Slag has been working with EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) in the requirements needed for the slag removal on Site. The ecological and human health risk assessment has been completed. The EPA and PADEP finalized the Remedial Investigation Feasibility Report and the Proposed Plan which outlines the EPA preferred cleanup option for the Site. The EPA planned a public meeting the end of July 2006 to discuss the EPA preferred alternative for the Site with the public. The Record of Decision was signed by management on 11-14-2006. The EPA preferred innovative alternative includes regrading and contouring the contaminated slag piles and mixing Class A biosolid from a local treatment plant and vegetaing the biosolid cap. The biosolid cap will reduce the mobility of the metals in the groundwater and minimize runoff into the Shenango River and minimize dust migration from the slag. Additionally, there would be long term monitoring of the groundwater and the Shenango River to ensure the remedy is working.

EPA acquired access from all parties associated with the northern portion of the Sharon Steel Site to complete the biosolids pilot scale study. Biosolids are being used at the Site to remediate metal contaminated soils.

Contacts

Site Contacts

Administrative Record Locations