OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460 

## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL) ***Proposed Site *** September 2015 

### OLD AMERICAN ZINC PL ANT Fairmont City, Illinois St. Clair County

 **Site Location :**  The Old American Zinc Plant site is a 132

- acre former zinc smelting operation located at 2575 Kings H ighway

, Fairmont City, Illinois

.

 **Site History:** Primary zinc smelting operations occurred on the 132

- acre facility from 1916 to 1953. Limited operations, such as roasting ores and sulfuric acid production, were then conducted at the site until American Zinc discontinued all operations in 1967. Slag gene rated during the smelter's operations was deposited on the former facility area in a molten state and allowed to cool over time. Vitrified slag was later transported from the former facility area for use as fill and surfacing material in the surrounding ar ea

.
 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:** Elevated levels of inorganic contaminants, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, zinc and manganese, were found on the former facility area, in nearby residential yards and in Rose Creek. Levels of a rsenic, lead and zinc in soil and/or sediment significantly exceed health

- based benchmark concentrations.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  Metals in on

- site soil and source materials pose potential risk to construction/utility/commerc ial workers; lead in surrounding residential and commercial properties pose potential risk via direct contact. Contaminated soil/sediments are present within West Drainage Ditch #1, which is located on the western portions of the property and flows to the Old Cahokia Creek wetlands, a wetland /marsh area which is located immediately north of the facility

.  **Response Activities (to date):** In 2002 and 2003, a potentially responsible party (PRP), Blue Tee, Inc., removed residential soils to address the elevated levels of lead.

A group of PRP conducted a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study to assess the extent of contamination and potential remedies. In September 2012, the EPA issued a Record of Decision describing the EPA’s selected remedial actions for the site

.

 **Need for NPL Listing:** The site has been following the Superfund Alternative Approach (SAA) but this approach has achieved limited

success

. Placing the sit e on the NPL will provide other avenues (i.e., unilateral administrative order) to proceed with the R emedial Action. The EPA received a l etter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

[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 i nformation 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) Tox FAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737.