Sites in Reuse in Ohio
Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke
The Allied Chemical & Ironton Coke site is located in the city of Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio. Wastes generated from the coke plant were discharged into lagoons and into a creek on the property called Ice Creek. The wastes included coke and coal fines, tar decanter sludges, boiler ash, and ammonia liquor. Specific constituents present in these waste streams included ammonia, benzene, cyanide, metals, naphthalene, phenolics, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Subsequent to listing on the National Priorities List in 1984, Honeywell, the PRP, funded the cleanup, which included capping contaminants on part of the site, building a slurry wall and treating ground water, and worked to prepare as much of the land as possible for reuse. Two parcels, approximately 37 acres in total, have been deemed appropriate for industrial reuse and do not require any further action. These 37 acres were conveyed to Ironton in the fall of 2002 as part of a Brownfields redevelopment effort. Ironton subsequently conveyed another part of the land to the State of Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). ODOT has since constructed a county garage from which it will conduct its highway maintenance activities, including, but not limited to, snow and ice removal, salt storage, equipment maintenance and storage, pavement maintenance, and other roadway operations. ODOT has also constructed office space for its county manager and clerical staff. Development of on-site lagoons into functional wetlands is underway. Annual vegetation and aquatic faunal biodiversity monitoring indicates increasing numbers and diversity of species, which indicates that the wetland habitats are healthy.
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Bowers Landfill
The creation of wetlands along the Scioto River in Circleville, Ohio, has transformed the 12-acre Bowers Landfill Superfund site into a haven for plants, birds, fish, and animals. In 1958, the property served as a gravel quarry and later became a residential landfill. Until 1968, chemical and industrial wastes were also dumped at the site, leading to the contamination of ground water and the nearby Scioto River. In 1983, EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Once the site was listed, EPA worked closely with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and area residents to design and carry out a cleanup plan that converted much of the site into wetlands. Activities consisted of removing contaminated waste, capping and venting the landfill, and re-vegetating its surface. The Bowers Landfill site was deleted from the NPL in 1997, with land use restrictions in place. The location of the wetlands on the Scioto River floodplain helps prevent potential damage to the landfill cap by absorbing excess waters and releasing them slowly back into the environment. The site also provides new recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, canoeing, and wildlife photography. The cleanup and ecological reuse of the site are contributing to the State of Ohio's goal of restoring 400,000 acres of wetlands by 2010.
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South Point Plant
From the 1940s until the late 1990s, manufacturing facilities at the South Point Plant Superfund site produced explosives, industrial chemicals and fuels. Facility operations also contaminated area soils and ground water. Funded partly by a Superfund Redevelopment pilot grant, local governments and community organizations worked with EPA and state agencies to develop a commercial and industrial reuse plan that meshed well with the site’s cleanup. Following the site’s cleanup, The Point business park opened for business in 2001. Today, The Point hosts more than 10 businesses that employ approximately 200 people. A satellite training center for Ohio University opened at The Point in 2007. Future plans for the facility include additional tenants, expanded facilities, and an intermodal facility that will serve as a vital storage and road, rail and river transportation resource for the region.
Updated 5/2011
For more information:
- South Point Plant Reuse Success Story (PDF) (1 pg, 76K, About PDF)
- Cleanup and Industrial Revitalization in the Tri-State Region: The South Point Plant Superfund Site and Lawrence County, OH (PDF) (14 pp, 4.4MB, About PDF)
- 2009 Return to Use Demonstration Project (PDF) (2 pp, 102K, About PDF)
- CERCLIS Superfund Site Profile
TRW, Inc. (Minerva Plant)
The TRW Minerva site, located in a rural area within Minerva, Ohio, is over 135 acres in size. TRW operated a manufacturing plant that produced aircraft components; the site was purchased by PCC Airfoils in 1986, and the company continues metal casting operations on the property today. Past disposal practices associated with the facility were responsible for the site contamination. Degreasers that contained volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were used by the facility and discharged directly to a ditch. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were also used by the facility. In May 1985, soil and sediment contamination was addressed and ground water treatment, which started in 1986, is ongoing.
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Zanesville Well Field
The 28-acre Zanesville Well Field Superfund site is located on the east and west banks of the Muskingum River in the center of the City of Zanesville, Ohio. American Encaustic Tiling Company constructed the original facility buildings on the west bank in 1893 and several companies have owned the west bank property since. . In 1974, UTA (United Technologies Automotive) acquired the property and operated at the site until 1991. The former UTA facility is the source of the contamination on both banks. EPA discovered TCE contamination at the site in 1981 and placed the site on the National Priorities list in 1983. EPA issued a Record of Decision for the site in September 1991 and selected the site remedy which included: the containment of ground water and restoration of the aquifer through ground water pumping; treatment of contaminated ground water by air stripping; treatment of soil and source areas by in-situ soil vapor extraction; and the treatment of soil by soil washing. The site achieved construction completion in September 1996 and remediation remains ongoing. While demolition and new developments remain restricted at the site, some site facilities are being reused. Several businesses began moving into existing site buildings in 2009, including a sign fabrication company and a lawn care company. A candy company moved into a 350,000-square-foot building on the southern-most part of the site in March 2010.
Updated 3/2012
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