OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Final Site*** September 2012 

PETERS CARTRIDGE FACTORY Kings Mills, Ohio 

Warren County 

 Site Location: 

The Peters Cartridge Factory site is an approximately 71-acre parcel of land located along the southern bank of the Little 

Miami River at 1415 Grandin Road, Warren County, Ohio. The site is bordered by a U.S. military reservation (ordnance 

plant) to the southwest, the Little Miami Scenic Trail and the Little Miami River to the north and west, and rural areas to 

the east and south. The site is defined as two distinct areas. Area A is a 15-acre parcel that includes former Peters Cartridge 

Company process areas and the Little Miami Scenic River Trail, and Area B consists of a 56-acre parcel of wooded land on 

the southern and southwestern boundaries of Area A. 

 Site History: 

The Peters Cartridge Factory operated as a manufacturer of cartridge ammunition, including shotgun shells and rifle and 

pistol cartridges. The company expanded north across Grandin Road during World War I. After WWI, frame buildings 

erected to keep up with the war demands were demolished and the company was consolidated back to its original buildings 

at the present site location. Remington Arms purchased Peters Cartridge Factory in 1934, and continued to manufacture 

rifle and shotgun ammunition until near the end of World War II. In 1944, the facility was closed as part of a consolidation 

by Remington. The Remington Arms Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of E.I. duPont de Nemours and 

Company in 1980. The Columbia Records division of RCA occupied the facility from 1944 to 1948, manufacturing 

phonograph records. Seagrams Distillers used the facility as a bonded warehouse during the 1950s, and a small cabinet 

company used a portion of the facility in the 1970s. In 1979, the facility was purchased by Landmark Renaissance 

Corporation and is currently known as the Kings Mills Technical Center. LensCrafters leased the property from January 

1987 to December 1991 to manufacture eyeglass lenses and frames. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

Soils and sediment (at culvert and drainage outfalls) have been found to be contaminated with copper, lead and mercury, 

and fill materials, including boiler ash and slag, were found buried on the property. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

The Little Miami River, which is threatened by contamination from the site, is a fishery and a state and national scenic 

river. 

 Response Activities (to date): 

The EPA began the remedial design and remedial action (RD/RA) negotiation process with the potentially responsible 

parties in 2010. The negotiations ended in October 2011 without a signed consent decree. The EPA issued a unilateral 

administrative order in March 2012. DuPont, a responsible party, began the remedial design work in April 2012. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

Contaminants have been released to soil and ground water, and threaten the Little Miami River - a fishery and a state and 

national scenic river. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time. The EPA 

received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state of Ohio. 

[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.] 

For more information 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) ToxFAQs. 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.