The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday  announced a proposed settlement the government has reached with Dunbar Asphalt Products, Inc., to clean up a 29-acre portion of the Sharon Steel Corporation Superfund Site in Hermitage, Mercer County. 

The cleanup will better protect workers from exposure to contaminants on the site and prevent airborne releases of the contaminants.

“This settlement advances the cleanup work at Sharon Steel, allows for two local businesses to continue operating, and protects workers’ health and the local community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.  “Getting this cleanup work underway builds on the progress we’re steadily making in the overall cleanup and reuse of this property.”

Under this proposed settlement, Dunbar will pay the costs to cover exposed slag with asphalt or clean fill to prevent releases of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and ensure there is no exposed waste. Dunbar will also reimburse EPA for future costs related to the cleanup of this 29-acre portion of the site. 

EPA estimates that it would have cost the agency $1.7 million to clean up this portion of the site if a settlement had not been reached with Dunbar. 

Dunbar and Williams Brothers Trucking Company are each operating businesses at the site.  EPA selected a process that allows the businesses to continue operating while the protective remedy is being installed.

The entire Sharon Steel Site covers about 325 acres in Mercer County.  Sharon Steel Corp. used this area to dispose of slag and other waste generated from the company’s steelmaking operations at its nearby Farrell Works plant.  The slag and other wastes contaminated soil and groundwater. 

In 1998, EPA added the site the National Priorities List of sites that have known, or are threatened by, releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

The proposed settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period which started September 11, 2015, and requires court approval before becoming final.

EPA is paying to clean up other areas at this Superfund site. 

A copy of the proposed settlement and instructions on how to comment are available online.

For more information on the site, visit EPA’s Sharon Steel Corporation Farrell Works Disposal Area webpage.

9/21/2015