Wire fluff is the plastic sheathing used to cover and/or insulate wire and is a waste product associated with recycling scrap wire. Once the scrap wire is stripped of its metallic core, the plastic sheathing is typically chopped into small pieces, primarily to facilitate its handling during storage/disposal. Wire fluff material can contain elevated levels of lead, phthalates, and PCBs.

The 41st Avenue Wire Fluff site was discovered during the assessment for the 35th Avenue site. Initial sampling performed in February 2013 demonstrated that portions of this material contained elevated levels of lead. Due to the industrial nature of the property, a separate investigation was initiated for this Site.

The property is in a residential neighborhood bordered by industrial facilities. A rail switch yard is to the immediate east, residences to the north, and undeveloped industrial property surrounds the property to the west and south. The most obvious feature of the property is the 40,000 tons of wire fluff occupying the southern half of the property. The pile is 30 feet high at the northern edge, which, due to occasional removal of sections of fluff, forms a vertical cliff from the top to ground level. The pile is about 300 feet wide and as deep, with the elevation tapering off to ground level to the south. The balance of the site is generally covered with a thin veneer of fluff, varying from a few inches to a foot thick. Beneath the fluff is a layer of soil and debris remaining from when the property was a metal recycling facility. The soil is about 6 inches thick in most places, but varies from nonexistent to almost a foot deep. Below the soil is a hardpan of an unknown substance. The hardpan material is reported to be waste slag from a rock wool manufacturing process, but that is unconfirmed. The hardpan is irregular and unlevel. It is mainly the soil layer that is of concern for lead concentrations.

A stream runs through the property, entering the property along the southern boundary, running beneath the southeast corner of the pile, and then out along the eastern edge of the pile and down the eastern property line along the tracks. It also partially empties into the northern section of the property, along 41st Avenue, causing a saturated, muddy area with standing water in places.

A review of historical aerial photography indicates that the fluff was placed in this location sometime during the early 1980’s. A local metal recycling company previously used this property to recycle waste wire and the insulation stripped from the wire (wire fluff) was left on the property. JK Holdings, managed by Mr. Roger West, purchased this site in 2006, retaining the wire fluff with the intent to convert the material into a salable product.