The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an administrative order to those responsible to clean up contaminated soil at a site near DePue, where a zinc smelter and fertilizer plant was once located, it was announced this week.
The EPA issued the order to TCI Pacific Communications and CBS/Westinghouse, according to the city of DePue. The order requires what the EPA calls “potentially responsible parties" to clean up contaminated soil in a portion of the New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Corp. site. The 950-acre site is contaminated with elevated levels of zinc, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, and manganese.
DePue is nearly surrounded by the contaminated site. The location was originally developed in 1905 as a primary zinc smelter by the Mineral Point Zinc Company and was operated continuously in various capacities until 1989.
The EPA plans to hold a public meeting in the community of about 1,700 people to discuss soil sampling and cleanup and to answer questions before work begins this spring.