Coal Tar Remediation Addressed In Alexandria Settlement

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Efforts to address remaining coal tar contamination from a former manufacturing gas plant in Alexandria led to a settlement by the city.

The City of Alexandria announced the settlement with Potomac Riverkeeper Network to address remnants of coal tar from the former plant near N. Lee Street and Oronoco Street. According to the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, coal tar contamination and other wastes from the former plant have impacted the Potomac River near Founders Park.

The group, which had investigated the decades-long contamination from the site, said many of the pollutants entering the river are "probable human carcinogens and pose a potential danger to marine and aquatic organisms and the animals that feed on them."

"We commend the city for agreeing to take the necessary corrective action to halt and clean up this pollution, which has been harming the Potomac River for decades," said Nancy Stoner, president of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. "This is a win for the Potomac River, the residents of Alexandria, and for everyone who relies on the river for drinking water and recreation."

The former Alexandria Town Gas manufacturing gas plant had operated from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. The city has already made progress toward remediation since entering a program in 2000 overseen by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The settlement includes upland remediation program to expedite ongoing efforts to remove coal tar from the soil and groundwater, upgrades to the storm sewer pipe to keep any potential coal tar contaminated groundwater from entering the Potomac River, sediment testing and needed remediation around Robinson Terminal North pier near the storm sewer outfall at the end of Oronoco Street, and $300,000 in funding to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to add 20,000 freshwater mussels to the Potomac River to serve as natural filters of pollutants and toxins.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network had filed the lawsuit in federal court against the city in May 2022. The group said the continued contamination of coal tar into the Potomac River violated the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The city has spent $12 million to remediate the site and had $11.8 million earmarked in its capital budget to address remaining coal tar contamination. So far, the city has removed hundreds of gallons of coal tar from the soil and groundwater, installed a groundwater treatment system, repaired the storm sewer, and remediated contaminated sediment from where the storm sewer enters the Potomac River.

Dean Naujoks of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network had found the contamination seven years ago and notified city officials. He said the contamination from the plant through the storm sewer pipe happened since 1975.

"The location is particularly troubling because the storm sewer outfall lies adjacent to Founders Park, a recreational area used by many Alexandria residents, and the River is frequently used for kayaking, paddling, and recreational fishing by the general public," said Naujoks. "The City’s effort to eliminate these discharges over many years had failed to stop the ongoing leak of coal tar residues. We believe the expanded remediation program called for by the settlement agreement will finally control this persistent contamination."