The Environmental Protection Agency last week added part of Bear Creek near Sparrows Point to a national list of sites prioritized for cleanup after the EPA found contaminants in the sediment there were at least three times greater than samples collected upriver and upstream.
The site of concern contains about 60 acres of contaminated sediments in the waters of Bear Creek, near where the creek meets the Patapsco River and along the northwestern shore of the Sparrows Point peninsula.
Sparrows Point is the former site of Bethlehem Steel, at one time the world’s largest steel producer and the Baltimore area’s largest employer.
During its operation at Sparrows Point, Bethlehem Steel also contributed to the contamination of nearby waterways, said Joe Vitello, EPA site assessment manager for the Bear Creek site.
“Bethlehem Steel discharged contaminants in stormwater, process water, and wastewater for manufacturing areas directly to the surface water, and placed slag directly into the water to create landmass, which allowed contaminants to settle into the sediment of the creek,” Vitello said in an EPA presentation in October 2021.
The EPA found hazardous substances in the sediments of Bear Creek, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of chemicals that are caused by burning materials such as coal, oil, and gasoline; heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, cyanide, lead, mercury, selenium, silver and zinc; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals often used in electrical, heat transfer and hydraulic equipment among other uses; and oil and grease.
Vitello said the current property owner of the historic steel mill site, Tradepoint Atlantic, is already conducting an ongoing cleanup of the former industrial areas on land at Sparrows Point under the regulatory oversight of the EPA.
But the EPA is also working to address contamination in the water off of the peninsula.
The EPA collected sediment samples in the 60-acre area of Bear Creek in October 2018 and October 2019. They also collected background samples from points upriver on the Patapsco River and upstream from the site on Bear Creek, to compare to the area of concern.
“These samples are necessary for comparing to the samples collected from our area of concern because they are representative of sediment that is far enough away from being influenced by the contaminants that discharged from Sparrows Point,” Vitello said.
Contaminants in the samples from the Bear Creek study area were “significantly above” the background samples upriver and upstream, Vitello said.
Samples taken from the area of concern in Bear Creek had some contaminant – whether a heavy metal, PCB or other chemical – with a concentration at least three times greater than the background samples.
The EPA also assessed the toxicity of the sediment and its effect on organisms. Test results showed that all macro-invertebrate organisms, like crabs and mussels, that were exposed to the sediment died, with the exception of two sediment locations where there was 90% mortality.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation called the pollution “an example of environmental injustice as nearby residents have been unable to safely swim or fish in the water for decades due to the legacy pollution.”
The environmental organization said it is working with residents of Turner Station, a historically Black community located across the creek to the northwest of the former Bethlehem Steel, to advocate for the cleanup and make sure residents are supported in that process.
“This cleanup is urgently needed to correct the wrongs of the past,” CBF’s Maryland Senior Scientist Doug Myers said in a statement. “We thank the EPA for moving forward with an
investigation to figure out the extent of the pollution and eventually correct it.
Myers added that while the EPA’s decision is “just the beginning of what will likely be a lengthy process,” it is an encouraging step.
“We plan to follow the cleanup process closely to ensure it will be safe, effective, and satisfy residents in the area burdened by toxic contaminants that make the water in the area dangerous to their health,” Myers said.
The Bear Creek site was proposed to be added to the National Priorities List in September 2021 following testing by the EPA in 2018 and 2019, and the EPA held a 60-day public comment period from September to November 2021.
Now that the site has been added to the priorities list as of March 16, the EPA will conduct community interviews to help develop a plan for addressing local needs throughout the cleanup process.
People who are interested in participating in an interview can contact Lisa Trakis, the community involvement coordinator, at trakis.lisa@epa.gov.
The EPA will launch a more comprehensive investigation to evaluate existing environmental data, assess the risks to human health and the environment, and collect additional samples as necessary, said Mitch Cron, a remedial project manager with the EPA.
