U.S. Smelter & Lead Refinery Superfund Site

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Janet Pope (pope.janet@epa.gov)
312-353-0628 or 800-621-8431, ext.30628

Remedial Project Manager
Michael Berkoff (berkoff.michael@epa.gov)
312-353-898 or 800-621-8431, ext. 38983

Repositories

(where to view written records)

East Chicago Public Library
Reference Department
2401 E. Columbus Drive
East Chicago, IN 46312
219-397-2453

Links

More information about the site from IDEM

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund glossary
Superfund Frequent Questions:
Superfund Information Systems Frequent Questions

Region 5 RCRA

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Background

U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery, Inc. (USS Lead) is located on a 79-acre tract of land in East Chicago, Indiana. From 1906 to 1920, the Delamar Copper Refinery operated at the facility as a copper smelter. In 1920, the property was purchased by U.S. Smelting Refining and Mining and the facility became a lead refinery. The property was later purchased by USS Lead. Between 1972 and 1973, USS Lead was converted to a secondary lead smelter, recovering lead from automobile batteries. All operations ceased in 1985.

The facility's hazardous waste management units included calcium sulfate sludge waste piles and baghouse dust waste piles. Other sources of contamination at the facility included stack emissions from blast furnace operations, a slag pile located in the southeast portion of the wetlands, and oil releases into the canal from a nearby above-ground tank. Sharon Steel Corporation, which owned USS Lead, filed for bankruptcy in 1987 and was assigned to Mining Remedial Recovery Co. (MRRC) by the bankruptcy court.

USS Lead is subject to an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) interim agreed order and the U.S. EPA requirements under a unilateral administrative order.

Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) and Community Advisory Group (CAG) are two ways the community can get involved. Learn more about CAGs and TAGs

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