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NPL Site Narrative for Little Scioto River
LITTLE SCIOTO RIVER
Marion Township, Ohio
Marion County
Site Location
Little Scioto River is located in Marion Township, Marion County, Ohio. It is located just west of the City of Marion, Ohio. The Little Scioto River feeds the Scioto River, a major tributary to the Ohio River.
Site History
Little Scioto River is a small river where the sediments are contaminated with coal tar creosote due to historic discharges from the former Baker Wood Preservation/Creosoting (BWC) facility. The former BWC operated as a preserver of lumber products from approximately 1890 through the late 1960s. Railroad ties were preserved with coal-tar creosote and then stacked to dry on the western portion of the property. In 1946, Ohio Department of Health notified BWC that chemicals (likely creosote) were being discharged from BWC into the combined sewers that drain to nearby North Rockswale Ditch and Little Scioto River. BWC is currently vacant.
Site Contamination/Contaminants
Little Scioto River is a 4-mile stretch of a small river where the sediments are contaminated with coal tar creosote. Coal tar creosote consists of a mixture of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment
PAH compounds present direct contact and ingestion threats to people, fish, large and small animals in the area. On March 20, 1992, Ohio Department of Health issued an advisory against swimming, wading, and eating fish caught in the 4-mile stretch of Little Scioto River, west of the City of Marion from Holland Road south to State Route 739. This advisory is still in effect.
Response Activities (to date)
In 2002, EPA initiated the cleanup utilizing Oil Pollution Act funds as authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). In 2004, EPA completed a separate cleanup at the BWC property. During 2002-2003, 32,000 tons of sediment were removed and safely disposed from a three-quarter mile segment of the river. Additionally, about 10,000 tons of contaminated soil and vegetation were also removed from North Rockswale Ditch, which enters the river south of Holland Road. In 2006, EPA and Ohio EPA removed and disposed of 36,115 tons of sediment from a half mile segment of river.
Need for NPL Listing
The State of Ohio referred the site to EPA because PAHs have been observed in the sediment of Little Scioto River and pose a direct contact and ingestion risk to human health and the environment. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time because the state does not have the resources to clean up the contamination. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the State.
[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 ATSDR - ToxFAQs (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html) or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.