Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Sparrows Point LLC in Sparrows Point, Maryland

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EPA has reached agreement on a proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement (PPA) with Sparrows Point Terminal, LLC (SPT) regarding its purchase of the Facility. SPT proposes to redevelop the Facility property under a long-term ground leasing program with commercial logistics, transportation, and manufacturing tenants. The PPA requires SPT to perform on-shore work; pay $3.0 million for off-shore investigation, and pay EPA’s oversight costs. In exchange, the PPA provides SPT with a covenant not to sue under Sections 106 and 107(a) of CERCLA (also known as the Superfund Law), 42 U.S.C. §§ 9606 and 9607(a), and Sections 3005, 3008(a), and 7003 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 6925, 6928(a), and 6973 for "Existing Contamination" as defined in the PPA.

Cleanup Status

On October 8, 1997, EPA, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and then owner Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC) entered into a judicial Consent Decree (CD) which governs EPA's RCRA corrective action activities at the Facility.

On July 8, 2014, the 1997 Consent was modified to add Sparrows Point LLC (“SPLLC”), thereby making SPLLC responsible for completing the remaining work required under the Consent Decree.

The Consent Decree requires completion of the following tasks:

All work required by the CD has been completed with the exception of Tasks one, two and three relating to corrective actions and landfill compliance. Site wide investigation of on-shore areas has been completed. Off-shore investigation has been partially completed at Coke Point, and investigation of the remaining offshore areas is currently taking place and is anticipated to be completed in two years.

Interim measures (IMs) have been identified and implemented in the former Rod and Wire Mill by groundwater pumping, and in the former Coke Oven Area by 6 remediation cells employing a combination of product removal, air sparging, vapor extraction, and groundwater pumping.

1. Complete a site wide investigation to investigate releases of hazardous constituents from the facility to determine the need for potential corrective action,
2. Use interim measures to address releases that require immediate action,
3. Apply compliance standards for two solid waste landfills (Greys Landfill and Coke Point Landfill),
4. Apply a compliance standard for visible emissions from the roof monitor at the Basic Oxygen Furnace,
5. Implement projects to minimize air emissions of kish,
6. Inspect and perform associated repairs of (a) all active sumps and associated trenches that are located in the Cold Sheet Mill and the Tin Mill that contain significant amounts of acid, caustic, plating, and coating solutions, and (b) all above ground storage tanks with capacity greater than 500 gallons that store hazardous substances, and
7 . Implement projects to minimize waste production.

All work required by the CD has been completed with the exception of Tasks one, two and three relating to corrective actions and landfill compliance. Site wide investigation of on-shore areas has been completed. Off-shore investigation has been partially completed at Coke Point, and investigation of the remaining offshore areas is currently taking place and is anticipated to be completed in two years.

Interim measures (IMs) have been identified and implemented in the former Rod and Wire Mill by groundwater pumping, and in the former Coke Oven Area by six remediation cells employing a combination of product removal, air sparging, vapor extraction, and groundwater pumping.

Offshore site investigation report was updated in March 2016 and is available online.

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    Site Description

    The Sparrows Point facility is located on approximately 3100 acres of a peninsula on the north side of the Patapsco River approximately nine (9) miles southeast of downtown Baltimore. BSC purchased the facility in 1916 And during peak production in 1959, the facility operated 12 coke-oven batteries, 10 blast furnaces, and four open-hearth furnaces. The coke ovens ceased operations in December 1991 and the coke batteries have been or are being torn down. Waste management at the property includes air pollution controls two solid waste landfills, and waste water treatment.

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    Contaminants at this Facility

    A broad range of contaminants were detected at the site associated with the steel making process. Contaminants include: antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, tin, zinc, ammonia, benzene, cyanide, ethyl benzene, naphthalene, PAHs, toluene, xylene, coal tar, oils, lime sludge, sulfuric acid, waste alkaline rinses, mill scale, and ship yard wastes.

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    Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

    The need for Institutional Controls is yet to be determined.

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    Land Reuse Information at this Facility

    The facility is being redeveloped.

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    Site Responsibility at this Facility

    RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from Maryland Department of Environmental Protection.

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