U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 announced that an environmental investigation, which is the first stage of a cleanup project, has begun at the Hamilton Armco site in New Miami, Ohio.

The site is composed of two parcels on 252 acres with a history of heavy industrial use since the early 1900s. Starting out as a coke plant, the property was also the site of iron, steel and road tar manufacturing. Now vacant, the property was purchased by AK Steel in 1994 and subsequently blast furnaces, buildings and other structures were demolished.

Phase 1 work will determine the nature and extent of contamination and will include sampling of soil, ground water, surface water and sediment and installation of monitoring wells. Sampling areas will include former by-product areas such as air sludge scrubbers, a rail yard, stormwater outlets, drainage ditches, fuel storage tanks, wastewater settling ponds and a closed landfill.

Work now underway will be performed by AK Steel contractors under EPA oversight in consultation with Ohio EPA.