Decommissioning of Former Exide Battery Recycling Facility, Vernon, California

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This website provides information about EPA's role in the decommissioning activities conducted in 2021 and 2022 at the former Exide facility in Vernon, California. Information about EPA’s evaluation of the site under the Superfund program is not presented here and is available at the Superfund Site Profile Page. Information about the related effort by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to clean up the residential yards in the 1.7 mile radius from the Exide facility is available at the California DTSC website.

• Why Was EPA Involved?
• Decontamination and Deconstruction Process
• Trust Project Timeline
• Documents

Why Was EPA Involved?

Background

Lead, a naturally occurring element, can be harmful to humans (particularly children) when ingested or inhaled. Exide and past companies ran a lead battery recycling facility at the Vernon, Calif., location for about 90 years; it closed in 2015. In 2020, Exide filed for bankruptcy which was resolved in a U.S. federal court settlement. The settlement set up the Vernon Environmental Response Trust (Trust) and directed EPA to oversee Trust activities. The Trust ensures the Exide facility work follows the:

• Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); and
• California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) Closure Plan requirements for the facility.

Exide decontaminated and deconstructed the westernmost building, known as Segment 1, in September 2019. Segment 1 was where used batteries were recycled and raw materials were stored prior to smelting. Exide started decontaminating and deconstructing the easternmost building, known as Segment 2, but stopped this work in Spring 2020. Segment 2 had contained the blast furnace and lead smelting equipment. The Vernon Environmental Response Trust later resumed work on Segment 2 in November 2020, and also started decontaminating and deconstructing the center building (Segment 3) in April 2021 and completed the takedown in March 2022. The center building, called Segment 3, has the facility air pollution control equipment (baghouses).

The work follows the 2016 DTSC approved Exide Closure Plan and is consistent with South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Exide Title V permit. The work was performed in a way that protects the surrounding community. This was accomplished through the use of dust control practices such as vacuuming and/or wetting surfaces prior to starting work, power washing, and having the work on the smelter building (Segments 1, 2, and 3) done in a Full Enclosure Unit, as shown in the graphic below.

DTSC continues to lead the residential soil sampling and cleanup program. More information on DTSC’s residential cleanup work is available on their website.

Decontamination and Deconstruction Process

• Former Exide Facility Decontamination and Deconstruction Process (pdf) (214.08 KB, May 2021)
  Infographic that displays the decontamination and deconstruction process at the former Exide facility in Vernon, California.

Trust Project Timeline

• Trust Project Timeline (pdf) (63.85 KB, May 2022)
  Trust Project timeline for work at the former Exide Facility in Vernon, California.

Documents

• Presentation: EPA and Vernon Environmental Trust Update (pdf) (14.18 MB, May 12, 2022)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community meeting on May 12. To see other presentations from May 12, please go to www.dtsc.ca.gov/exide-home.
• EPA Role Update with Trust Budget Appendix | Actualización del Papel de EPA con el apéndice Presupuesto del Fideicomiso (pdf) (720.68 KB, May 2022)
  This letter summarizes EPA’s oversight role of the Trust limited to owner-related activities of the former Exide facility starting May 1, 2022. Esta carta resume el papel de supervisión de la EPA del Fideicomiso limitado a las actividades relacionadas como propietario de la antigua instalación de Exide a partir del 1 de mayo de 2022.
• Trust Budget May-December 2022 | Presupuesto del Fideicomiso de mayo-diciembre de 2022 (pdf) (355.25 KB, May 2022)
  Trust budget approved by EPA and California Department of Toxic Substances Control for May to December 2022. | Presupuesto del Fideicomiso aprobado por la EPA y el Departamento de Control de Sustancias Tóxicas de California para mayo hasta diciembre de 2022.
• Exide 2021 Groundwater Monitoring Report | Informe de Monitoreo del Agua Subterránea del Exide 2021 (pdf) (34.26 MB, Revised: March 2022)
  This report documents the groundwater sampling procedures and results from September 2021. | Este informe documenta los procedimientos de muestreo del agua subterránea y los resultados de septiembre de 2021.
• Presentation: EPA and Vernon Environmental Trust Update (pdf) (2.66 MB, February 24, 2022)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community meeting on February 24. To see other presentations from February 24, please go to www.dtsc.ca.gov/exide-home.
• Presentation: EPA and Vernon Environmental Trust Update (pdf) (4.05 MB, November 18, 2021)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community meeting on November 18. To see other presentations from November 18, please go to www.dtsc.ca.gov/exide-home.
• Presentation: EPA and Vernon Environmental Trust Update (pdf) (12.59 MB, September 9, 2021)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community meeting on September 9, 2021. To see other presentations from September 9, please go to www.dtsc.ca.gov/exide-home.
• Presentation: EPA Vernon Environmental Response Trust Update (pdf) (8.56 MB, July 29, 2021)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community briefing on July 29, 2021.
• Vernon Summary of Temporary Work Shutdown and Resumption (pdf) (699.92 KB, June 25, 2021)
  Summary of Temporary Work Shutdown and Resumption at the Former Exide Facility provided by Vernon Environmental Response Trust.
• Revised Technical Memo No. 1 Non-IS Order Immediate Action (pdf) (6.13 MB, May 4, 2021)
  Final Technical Memo, approved by DTSC and EPA, for addressing non-Interim Status Buildings in relation to the DTSC issued July 3, 2020 Interim Measure Order.
• Presentation: EPA and Vernon Environmental Trust Update (pdf) (2.47 MB, May 2021)
  EPA and Trust presentation updates from the community meeting on May 13, 2021.
• Presentation: EPA’s Update for the Exide Advisory Group (pdf) (484.72 KB, March 11, 2021)
  EPA Presentation from the March 11, 2021 public meeting for Exide Advisory Group.
• Presentation: Vernon Environmental Response Trust Progress Report (pdf) (1.24 MB, March 11, 2021)
  Presentation from the March 2021 ETAG public meeting.
• Presentation: Exide Community Meeting (pdf) (2.05 MB, January 2021)
  EPA presentation from the January 2021 community meeting on EPA’s Role with the Vernon Environmental Response Trust (VERT or The Trust).
• Vernon Environmental Response Trust (Trust) Simplified Budget 2020-2023 (pdf) (219.56 KB, May 2021)
  Simplified Trust budget approved by EPA and California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for work at the former Exide Facility from November 2020 to December 2023.
• Technical Memorandum No. 2: Interim Measures Order Response Work Plan (pdf) (3.76 MB, December 16, 2020)
  Memo that EPA has approved to do work that either differs from the permit/closure plan, or is not laid out in the permits/plans.
• Technical Memorandum No. 3: Deconstruction of Kettle Gallery and Backfill of Containment Building (pdf) (1.2 MB, December 24, 2020)
  Memo that EPA has approved to do work that either differs from the permit/closure plan, or is not laid out in the permits/plans.
• Technical Memorandum #4: Backfill of Tunnel with Flowable Fill (pdf) (1.1 MB, January 1, 2021)
  Memo that EPA has approved to do work that either differs from the permit/closure plan, or is not laid out in the permits/plans.
• Technical Memorandum #5: BESS Building Deconstruction (pdf) (1.28 MB, January 13, 2021)
  Memo that EPA has approved to do work that either differs from the permit/closure plan, or is not laid out in the permits/plans.
• Former Exide Facility Decontamination and Deconstruction Process (pdf) (214.08 KB, May 2021)
  Infographic that displays the decontamination and deconstruction process at the former Exide facility in Vernon, California.