Three companies have agreed to pay about $29.8 million in cleanup costs for
a Superfund site in Fairmont, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday.
The three companies – Exxon Mobil Corp., Vertellus Specialties Inc. and CBS
Corp .— will perform cleanup work and
reimburse the EPA and the state of West Virginia $11 million for past cleanup
costs at the Big John's Salvage-Hoult Road Superfund site, the EPA said. The
companies have agreed to do the cleanup at the site at an estimated cost of
$17.8 million. The companies will also reimburse EPA and the state for all
future costs associated with overseeing the cleanup. Those are estimated to be
$1 million.
The 38-acre Big John's site, located near the east bank of the Monongahela
River in Fairmont, was
designated a Superfund site in 2000, making it eligible for federal cleanup
funds. The site became contaminated with hazardous wastes from decades of
industrial activity.
Cleanup actions will include constructing an impermeable cap to contain
contaminated soil and enhancing an existing ground water containment system to
help prevent contaminants from migrating. Additionally, about 5,500 cubic yards
of tar wastes coating a one-acre area along the bottom of the Monongahela
River will be removed and sent to a certified disposal facility,
the EPA said.
Between 1932 and 1973, the site was owned by a predecessor of Vertellus
Specialities, including the Reilly Tar and Chemical Corp., which operated a tar
processing and refining facility. Domestic Coke, a predecessor of ExxonMobil,
operated a coke production plant adjacent to the Big John's site and sold and
delivered crude coal tar to the Reilly facility for refining.
From 1973 to 1984, Big John Salvage owned the property and operated a metal,
glass and oil salvaging operation. During that time, Big John's accepted
hazardous waste materials from Westinghouse Electric Co., a predecessor of CBS
Corp., including mercury-containing fluorescent light bulbs, lead dust and
mercury-tainted waste oil, the EPA said.
Work is currently ongoing at the site to prevent the release of tar seeps to
surface water and the Monongahela River. Since 2001,
more than 11 million gallons of contaminated water have been captured in a
collection system and cleansed in a series of water treatment systems before
they could enter the river, the EPA said.
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