PHILADELPHIA — Sept. 14, 2015 — Dunbar Asphalt Products Inc. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reached a settlement to clean up 29 acres of the Sharon Steel Corporation Superfund Site in Hermitage, according to a press release.
The cleanup will help to protect workers from contaminant exposure, noted the release. It will also prevent any airborne releases of contaminants, which include heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
"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 in the release. "Getting this cleanup work underway builds on the progress we’re steadily making in the overall cleanup and reuse of this property."
Dunbar will pay to cover exposed slag with asphalt or clean fill, stated the release. The company will also reimburse the EPA for future cleanup costs of the site, saving the agency $1.7 million.
Dunbar and Williams Brothers Trucking Company operate businesses on the land, reported the release. Both will continue their businesses while the cleanup work is performed.
The entire Sharon Steel Site covers about 325 acres, shared the release. Slag and other wastes from steel-making at the nearby Farrell Works plant were disposed of on the site, contaminating the soil and groundwater. It was added to the National Priorities List in 1998.
The 30-day public comment period on the proposal began Sept. 11, noted the release.
You can find the entire release here.
