101 HIGH ST
The Midwest Manufacturing/North Farm site consists of two areas: North Farm, which is an unlined disposal cell located 2 miles from the plant; and Midwest Manufacturing, which is the plant facility. The two areas were combined into the same site because they contain the same types of wastes and affect the same population. From 1973 to 1981, under Smith-Jones ownership, the plant was engaged in electroplating special-order stamped metal pieces, a process that involved using various heavy metals such as nickel, zinc, and cadmium. Prior to a wastewater treatment plant being brought on line in 1977, the electroplating waste from the plant was discharged directly into the North Skunk River. From 1977 to 1978, the sludge produced by this process was disposed of in an unlined cell at the North Farm area. From 1979 to 1981, trenches at the Midwest Manufacturing area near the plant received the sludge produced by the treatment process. In 1982, EPA collected sludge samples from the disposal trenches at both areas. Cadmium was the only metal found to be present in the soils above naturally-occurring levels. No elevated levels of metals were present in soil samples taken from the North Skunk River downgradient from the plant. A ground water sample collected from Well #1 was found to contain levels of zinc less than the proposed level for lifetime exposure. During the EPA's 1987 site visit, a man-made drainage ditch was discovered to the west of the disposal trench at the plant. The sediments in this ditch were covered with a black, oily substance that had a petroleum odor. Stressed vegetation and an oily substance floating on top of the water were observed in a marshy area located on the western end of the plant property. In a 1989 site visit, it was noted that the drainage ditch had been covered and a plastic drain pipe had been placed in the bottom of the ditch. The plant manufactured high-speed flywheel ring gears and assemblies for automobiles. Approximately 700 people depend on wells located within three miles of the site for their drinking water supply.
25 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$63,235 |
Average Income |
11 |
Occupied homes |
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