West Virginia site formally added to Superfund National Priorities List

The North 25th Street Glass and Zinc site in Clarksburg, West Virginia, has been formally added to the National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous wastes sites, commonly referred to as Superfund sites, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The site, which was proposed to the list in April, has contamination from past industrial practices that could pose public health and environmental risks. As an NPL site, the North 25th Street Glass and Zinc site is eligible for remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Throughout the process, EPA will continue to keep the community informed and involved in developing a remedy that protects public health and the environment.

From 1899 through 1989, glass was manufactured at the Clarksburg facility, and from 1911 to 1924, zinc ore was processed creating a legacy of hazardous waste. Lead, arsenic and zinc are in soils on the property and in the groundwater and sediments in the nearby West Fork River.

The site is currently owned by Harrison Warehouse Services Company Inc., Parsons, West Virginia, and is being used as a storage area for recycled paper for a pulp facility and an automobile repair service. A large, zinc slag pile on-site contains lead, is accessible to the public, and is eroding into the West Fork River. The site also is accessible from a rails-to-trails bike path.

In 2010, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection requested EPA's assistance. EPA stabilized the area and capped it with an asphalt cover as a temporary measure to address immediate environmental threats.