CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) — A site in central Virginia that used to house a business that dismantled batteries is being removed from the federal list of Superfund sites, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday.
Between the early 1970s and 1985, the C&R Battery Company Inc. site in Chesterfield County was home to work that involved breaking down large batteries to recover lead and lead oxide, EPA said in a news release. Battery acid was drained into on-site ponds, contaminating the soil, sediment and surface water.
“Following a final inspection and detailed review of site data, EPA’s clean-up goals have been deemed complete for all groundwater, surface water, sediment and soil, which includes the establishment of institutional controls to prevent future contamination,” the news release said. The James River wetlands, an area about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) downstream and typically used for recreational purposes, also were determined to be free of site contaminants, the release said.
EPA proposed removing the suburban Richmond site from the Superfund National Priorities List, an inventory of the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites, in March. It received no “adverse” feedback during a public comment period, according to the release.
