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| Eagle Picher Carefree Battery | Socorro, New Mexico | |
| Socorro County |
Site Location:
The Eagle Picher (EP) Carefree Battery facility is located approximately two miles north of the town of Socorro in Socorro County, New Mexico. The property is currently owned by the City of Socorro.
Site History:
The property was first owned by the U.S. government and was used as Civilian Conservation Corps barracks in 1932. From 1936 to 1956, the facility was a State of New Mexico tuberculosis sanitarium. Septic waste from the sanitarium was discharged into unlined lagoons located in the southeast portion of the property. After the sanitarium was closed, the State gave the property to the City of Socorro. In 1964, the city sold the property to EP. From 1964 until 1976, EP operated a printed circuit board manufacturing plant on the property. Domestic sewage and industrial waste from the circuit board operation was discharged into the lagoons. From 1980 until the early 1990s, EP reoccupied the site and produced non-automotive lead-acid batteries. The domestic lagoons were used by EP until 1989, when the city installed a septic tank.
Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Chlorinated solvents detected at the site and in ground water down gradient from the facility include tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloroethane. These solvents have been detected in several municipal drinking water wells, domestic drinking water wells, and monitoring wells located downgradient from the EP facility. Concentrations of site contaminants have exceeded health-based benchmarks in both residential wells and public supply wells.
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:
The City of Socorro relies solely on the shallow aquifer for its potable water supply. Currently, the city is blending its water supply to lower the concentrations of TCE below health-based Maximum Contamination Level benchmarks.
Response Activities (to date):
In July 1999, the City of Socorro installed a city water line to provide municipal water to the affected residences in the plume area. Additional assessment activities are ongoing.
[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent FR notices.]
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.