Division of Emergency and Remedial Response
Site Cleanup Summary

RCA CORPORATION

Radio Corporation of America (RCA) began operations in early 1970 at the 230-acre manufacturing facility located at 24200 U.S. Route 23 South in Circleville, Pickaway County, Ohio. In 1986, RCA merged with the General Electric Company (GE). The facility was acquired by Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc. (Thomson) in 1987. Thomson operated the Circleville facility from 1987 to 2004. The facility produced glass components for television picture tubes. The glass in these picture tubes contained lead to reduce the emissions of X-rays from the picture tube. 

Thomson announced the cessation of their glass manufacturing operations on March 30, 2004, and officially closed the facility on June 15, 2004. In September 2005, Thomson began the demolition of the existing factory buildings and completed the demolition in 2006. The warehouse storage building and a small office building remain on site. In 2007, the Praxair oxygen facility ceased operation at the area they leased in the northeast corner of the property. On April 3, 2008, Thomson sold the entire 230-acre former manufacturing facility to IRG Circleville, LLC (83%) and Circleville Pickaway, LLC (17%).

Prior to 1980, glass polishing and grinding materials (fines) were carried in the manufacturing operation's rinse water into two unlined lagoons for settling. This water contained arsenic, chromium, fluoride and lead. The settled solids (sludge) were pumped out of the lagoons four times per year to three unlined earthen sludge pits, covering two acres east of the plant. These pits were covered with approximately two feet of clean soil in October 1980. The pit area was enclosed with a fence in 1989 to control access and possible exposure to the sludge deposits. Sludge that accumulated between 1980 and 1982 in the two settling lagoons, during the construction of the onsite wastewater treatment plant, was disposed at an offsite landfill. These settling lagoons were "RCRA clean-closed" in 1982 and 1984. In 1988, soils near the lagoons were removed and disposed off-site. The U.S.EPA approved the clean-closure of these settling lagoons in July 1990.

When in operation, the facility discharged approximately one million gallons per day of cooling rinse waters into the on-site drainage ditch system, which fed into the Scioto River under an Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water NPDES discharge permit.

Soil samples, sludge samples from the former lagoons, sediment samples from the on-site drainage ditches, and in the off-site creek area (OCA) stream’s sediment have found elevated levels of arsenic, chromium, lead, and hydrocarbons.

The hazardous waste storage building (HWSB) was used as a 90-day accumulation area for the hazardous wastes generated from the glass manufacturing process; including baghouse dust, furnace checker particulates and floor sweepings. The HWSB was clean closed under RCRA Interim Status in 1985. Soils in the vicinity of the HWSB were removed in 1988 and disposed offsite. The HWSB received “RCRA clean-closure” approval by U.S.EPA in 1992. The oil skimmer pond was removed from service in 1990. In 1992, soils and sludge were excavated from the pond’s bottom and sides to approximately 10 feet below the ground surface, and were disposed offsite as part of an interim removal action.

On February 14, 1994, Ohio EPA signed an administrative consent order with GE to perform a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS). In August 1995, Ohio EPA approved the RI/FS work plan for the site. The RI activities were completed in accordance with the RI/FS work plan (1995 original and amended in 1997) and approved by Ohio EPA. The areas investigated during this RI include the east fenced area (the former sludge pits), the adjacent fields, the east drainage swale, the former oil skimmer pond, the south ditch and the OCA. 

In October 2002, GE collected 113 soil/sediment samples from various depths at 17 different sampling locations in the OCA adjacent to the railroad tracks. Then GE excavated soil and sediment from a select portion of the OCA from November 13, 2002 through December 12, 2002 under an interim action of the RI. This interim action included the removal of approximately 530 cubic yards of soil/sediment and the installation of 64 feet of 54-inch diameter concrete drainage pipe to extend the existing culvert. The 1,560 tons of waste materials (including the excavated soil) were disposed of as a RCRA regulated hazardous waste in Belleville, Michigan. 

On September 15, 2003, GE began the collection of soil/sediment samples from the South Ditch and the OCA. Because of heavy rains and flooding in late September/early October delaying entry into the OCA, this soil and sediment sampling event was not completed until October 17, 2003. After reviewing these sampling results, GE proposed to collect additional soil/sediment samples northwest of the OCA from the adjacent farm field. On December 10, 2003, the additional sampling event was completed.

On September 9, 2005, GE submitted a work plan to investigate total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination. They completed the investigation in December 2005.  The TPH Supplemental Investigation Report was submitted to Ohio EPA on February 21. 2006. GE conducted supplemental sediment sampling for biotoxicity testing as part of the ecological assessment in May and June 2007.

The revised RI report was submitted by GE to Ohio EPA on October 29, 2004. The second revision to the RI report was submitted to Ohio EPA on September 20, 2007. Once the RI report has been approved by Ohio EPA, a FS report will be submitted by GE to complete the activities required under the administrative consent order. 

Photograph 1: North part of the main manufacturing facility, looking east, 11/14/02.

Photograph 2: South part of the main manufacturing facility, looking east, 11/14/02.

Photograph 3: Removal of soil and sediment at the off-site creek area (OCA), November 14, 2002.

Attachment 1: 1994 Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Consent Order

Summary date: January 2009

For further information on this site, contact:

David O'Toole
Ohio EPA, Central District Office, DERR
PO Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049
(614) 728-5040