Page Content
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has approved a cleanup method submitted by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company to address environmental conditions at the Spelter Smelter site in Harrison County. This site is in the DEP’s Voluntary Remediation Program and has been assigned the identification number VRP #02773.
The site is located at County Route 19/33 (B Street) in Spelter and includes approximately 114.3 acres. The Chemours Company FC LLC presently owns 101.37 acres of the main site and 10.24 acres of the rail trail site. Approximately 2.69 acres of the rail trail site is owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority. Portions of the site were used from the early 1900s until 2001 for zinc smelting and production. Constituents of concern are metals associated with the manufacturing of zinc. The site is not currently being used. Future land use of the site will be industrial/commercial for the main area. A portion of the property along the West Fork River has been remediated to residential/recreational land use standards and may be used as a rail trail.
The site has been remediated by demolition and removal of former manufacturing structures. Residue from zinc production and impacted material was consolidated to an area of approximately 42.6 acres and covered with an engineered cap.
The extraction of groundwater for any use other than groundwater monitoring and remediation is restricted. Upon completion of the remediation, a final report will be submitted to the DEP Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) for review and approval.
West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act encourages voluntary cleanups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, with an objective of counteracting the lack of development on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. The Voluntary Remediation Program identifies and addresses potential contamination at a given site; sets applicable remediation standards; and ensures that the standards are maintained at the site. By providing financial incentives to invest in brownfields, this approach protects communities and the environment while still promoting economic development in West Virginia.
For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.