PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on a proposed cleanup plan for sediment and soil contamination at a site in Portsmouth.
According to an EPA documentPeck Iron and Metal’s 33-acre site previously housed a scrap metal processing operation from 1945 to 1999. The facility, located southwest of the intersection of Elm Avenue and Victory Boulevard, purchased and processed scrap metal from military bases, other local entities and businesses, including electric and railroad companies.
Some of the items handled included electrical transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead/acid batteries, ship, aircraft and tank components, insulated copper cables and demilitarized munitions, the EPA said. .
These items may have contained radioactive materials such as radium-226, and site investigations found PCBs and heavy metals.
The EPA has developed a plan to clean up the site.
Comments can be submitted with comments on the plan between April 27 and May 27. Public comments will be considered in the final cleanup plan, in consultation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Comments can be submitted by mail, email or voicemail.
A recorded video presentation is on the EPA’s website on the site.
The EPA will hold an in-person question and answer session on the plan from 6-7.30pm on May 11 at the Cradock Civic League, 82 Afton Parkway in Portsmouth.
A phone Q&A will also be held from 7-7:30 p.m. on May 18. The conference line is (484) 352-3221 and the code is 54068971.
Scroll to the “What is my role in the process” section of this document for more information on how to submit feedback.
