SCORPIO RECYCLING, INC.
CANDELERIA WARD, PR
Cleanup Activities
On this page:
- Background
- What Has Been Done to Clean Up the Site?
- What Is the Current Site Status?
- Sampling and Monitoring
- Green Remediation
On related pages:
Background
The Scorpio Recycling, Inc. (SRI) site is located in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. The 6-acre facility is an active metal recycling company that buys all types of metal and sells it to foundries in the United States, Brazil, Spain and Japan. The facility started operations in 1972. Improper operation and disposal practices led to soil contamination with acids, lead and other metals. EPA has considered groundwater and soil contamination during cleanup and determined that the groundwater does not pose a risk to public health or the environment. EPA has removed, treated and disposed of several tons of contaminated soils and taken additional actions to stabilize the soil while it is under investigation.
The 6-acre facility is an active metal recycling company that buys all types of metal and sells it to foundries in the United States, Brazil, Spain and Japan. The facility started operations in 1972 under the name of Astur Metals, Inc., and changed it to its current name in 1989. The site property contains five main buildings: (1) the batteries accumulation and aluminum cans compacting building; (2) the aluminum processing building; (3) the offices and red metal processing building; (4) the maintenance shop building; and (5) the batteries and other metals accumulation building.
During the facility's early operation, crushing batteries to recover the lead for recycling was a common practice. This practice resulted in sulfuric acid spills onto the ground. Acid runoff from the area where the batteries were handled flowed down into the sinkhole next to this crushing area. The sinkhole served as a collection point for surface runoff where it could then infiltrate into the groundwater. Battery recycling and crushing were reported to have stopped in 1983.
After immediate actions to protect human health and the environment, and site investigations, EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in October 1999.
What Has Been Done to Clean Up the Site?
Immediate Actions: In 2002, EPA began a removal action to excavate and remove the battery cases, miscellaneous debris and soil contamination in the southwest portion of the site and the sinkhole. About 15,000 tons of soil were dug up and removed from the battery crushing area and the slope leading down to the sinkhole. Contaminated soil was stabilized with trisodium phosphate (TSP) prior to disposal at a landfill. The entire source was not excavated. Waste remains buried under the Rosa del Monte storage shed building and portions of the adjacent paved Rosa del Monte parking lot. No removal action was performed in the large scrap pile areas. Removal actions stopped in June 2004.
Long-term Cleanup: Following investigations, EPA determined that the groundwater does not pose a risk to public health or the environment. Currently EPA is conducting Fund Lead RD for OU-2.
What Is the Current Site Status?
The site is being addressed in two stages: immediate actions and a long-term remedial phase focused on cleanup of the entire site.
Based on the findings in the Remedial Investigation and the Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment for Operable Unit I, EPA has determined that the groundwater does not pose an unacceptable risk to public health or the environment. As such, a No Action Record of Decision was issued in September 2006. A Record of Decision for Operable Unit 2 was issued in September 2013. The remedy called for cover with gravel at the industrial area and soil within the conservation area. The remedial design for OU2 was completed in September 2017. EPA has been endeavoring to advance the implementation of the remedy through private party performance and/or securing funding and mandatory Commonwealth matching funds to perform the work. We hope that the remedial action will commence in the near future.
Sampling and Monitoring
A Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study for OU2 was conducted from August to October 2010 and included the following field activities: a topographic survey of the site; soil boring grid setup and survey in all areas (except the northern portion of the SRI property); and a surface geophysical survey of sampling areas (except the northern portion of the SRI property due to the presence of soil and scrap piles). Soil samples were collected from 12 borings in the SRI buildings, 18 borings in the southern area of the SRI property; seven borings at the Rosa del Monte property, and 24 borings in the Battery Crushing/Sinkhole Area. Soil samples from contingency and background borings and two surface soil samples from a sinkhole area trench previously excavated by EPA were collected in January 2011.
Green Remediation
No green remediation has been implemented.