Century Aluminum ordered to develop cleanup plan by EPA

PHILADELPHIA – Century Aluminum of West Virginia has been ordered to develop a cleanup plan for a former industrial facility in Ravenswood, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The area located on Route 2 South and Century Road was originally used for storage and disposal of hazardous materials and byproducts of aluminum production. Soil and groundwater is contaminated with cyanide, fluoride, lead, arsenic and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), according to the EPA, which is overseeing the cleaning up.

Announced June 5, the EPA plans to restore contaminated groundwater suitable for drinking water standards and to control exposure to hazardous wastes in the soil that remains for humans and the environment.

A materials management plan must be developed by the company to identify specific locations at the plant where contaminates remain.

A health and safety section for any future construction or excavation in those areas must also be created for employee safety. Thereafter, the EPA and the West Virginia Department of the Environmental Protection will review for approval.

Using the property for any purpose other than industrial is prohibited unless there proves to be no threat to human health or the environment. Also restricted is the use of groundwater beneath the property as drinking water, according to the order.

Aluminum production has taken place on this site since 1957 when Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation began operations.

The facility included a plant that produced aluminum from alumina ore and a plant that produced plate and coil aluminum alloy.

In 1999 Century Aluminum sold 500 acres to Pechiney Rolled Productions but retained the plant that produces aluminum.

In February 2009, Century Aluminum shut down the aluminum production operation due to the low demand.