AIRFORCE PLANT 85
One of the most important components of this region is the Superfund site, Airforce Plant 85. Superfund sites are areas where there are very toxic chemicals. If the city knows who the polluter is, the EPA forces that company to clean up the site. But if it is unclear who the polluter is or if the polluter is bankrupt, that site becomes a Superfund site and the cleanup is funded through taxes such as taxes on petroleum or taxes on chemical companies. At the site of Air Force Plant 85, Curtiss-Wright Corp., Rockwell International, and McDonnell Douglas made and tested naval aircraft and missile systems, all of which contaminated the soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Although the Air Force sold the plant to a local investment group in 1997, some of the companies are still operating and harming the community.[1] McDonnell Douglas Corp Air Force Plant in Columbus is now in the industry of transportation equipment manufacturing and waste management and remediation services. According to the RCRA, McDonnell Douglas Corp has been in noncompliance for the second (01/01/15-03/31/15), third (04/01-06/30/15) and fourth quarter (07/01-09/30/15) out of the past twelve quarter history. They have had two informal enforcements in the last five years, a Director Division Warning Letter on 09/29/15, and a written informal enforcement on 04/02/15.[2]
However, much is being done to improve this Superfund site. Prior to the sale of the plant, manufacturing and process area equipment was removed and cleaned. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) transformers, which are very hazardous and harmful, were removed, retrofitted and cleaned and the PCB contaminated soil was removed. Only ten areas remain for additional investigation and cleanup from the one-hundred areas initially identified. This Superfund site has gotten to the point where there are no current unacceptable human exposure pathways and no unacceptable standards of the groundwater, both approved by the EPA. However, the construction is not yet completed therefor the site is not ready for the anticipated use. But for now, the Superfund site has been renovated enough for some business to operate there by making use of warehouse space, office space, and aircraft industries.[3]
[1] Air Force Plant 85, Columbus, OH, Superfund Site, https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.redevelop&id=0504928, accessed October 21, 2017
[2] McDonnell Douglas Corp Air Force Plant 85 ECHO Report, EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database, https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000895979, accessed October 21, 2017
[3] Air Force Plant 85, Columbus, OH, Superfund Site, https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.redevelop&id=0504928, accessed October 21, 2017