The ESB Site (defunct) is located at 1246 Allene Avenue, SW, Atlanta, Georgia. The Site occupies 12 acres of land, has two abandoned buildings, an outside vacant concrete pile, a closed waste neutralization plant, and former battery casing storage area. The Site is bordered by a CSX active spur to the north, residential properties to the west, southeast and south. The nearest group of residential houses are located approximately 500 feet to the west of the facility. A child care center is located directly across the street from the facility on the west. Within one mile of the Site are seven schools, four parks, and two churches. Operations at the Site ceased in 1988.
Facility operations during thirty-six years of manufacturing lead-acid automobile batteries included casting lead alloys, producing oxides of lead, mixing lead pastes, and the formation of positive and negative battery plates. It was alleged that during the manufacturing, lead particles were possibly released to the atmosphere via the elevated roof stacks located in the operations area. The EPA conducted an assessment at the facility in 2002. A review of the January 2002 EPA Draft Reassessment Report indicated very high levels of lead contamination at and near the Site.
EPA ERRB started the removal assessment process in the summer of 2004. As access agreements were obtained, EPA conducted removal assessments, including soil sampling, at properties in the immediate vicinity of the facility. Analytical data from these sampling events indicated the presence of elevated levels of lead contamination exceeding the Region's removal action levels for residential and commercial properties. As a result of the these findings, twenty-five residential lots and two commercial properties were targeted for cleanup.
An EPA Fund-lead, time-critical removal action was implemented at the Site to mitigate lead-contaminated soils identified at these residential and commercial properties located in the immediate vicinity of the ESB facility. Lead contamination identified at the these properties are suspected to have been directly impacted as a result of historical operations at the ESB facility.
As part of the Administrative Order on Consent for Removal Action (Order) for the ESB, Inc., Site and through a request of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD), Exide Technologies has employed the services of AMEC E&I (AMEC) to perform quarterly groundwater sampling at the Site. As of September 2010, OSC Carter Williamson has overseen the activities associated with the ESB Site.
AMEC has completed four quarterly sampling events and EPA and EPD have visited the site during one of these events to tour the abandoned facility and grounds and meet with AMEC personnel to discuss the future of the Site. At present, Exide, through AMEC continues to conduct quarterly groundwater sampling and provide the reports to EPA and EPD along with quarterly progress reports.
