March 23, 2026: US environmental regulators have announced they will review cleanup work at ‘superfund’ sites, including a former lead battery plant and a smelting facility, this year.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on March 11 the Prestolite Battery Division and US Smelter and Lead Refinery (USS Lead) will undergo a five-year review to ensure ongoing or completed remediation efforts continue to protect public health and the environment. 

Both sites are among nine on the country’s list of national priority superfund sites across Indiana to undergo reviews.

Superfund is a US federal government program designed to fund the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants. 

The 18-acre Prestolite site manufactured lead acid batteries, primarily for use in cars and trucks, from 1945 to 1985. Plant operations contaminated soil with lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and groundwater, sediment, and surface water with volatile organic compounds and metals. Long term monitoring is ongoing.

Between 1972 and 1973, the USS Lead facility was converted (from copper smelting) to operate exclusively as a secondary lead smelter, recovering lead from car batteries and other sources of secondary lead. 

“As required by the superfund law, five-year reviews are a critical checkpoint to verify that completed cleanups are still doing their job — protecting people, drinking water and ecosystems — and to course-correct if new data or site conditions warrant action,” said EPA region 5 administrator Anne Vogel. 

Operations ceased in 1985. The EPA said while USS Lead was a significant contributor to contamination in the area, investigations indicate that other facilities were also significant sources of contamination to the surrounding residential area.

In 2024, a $7 million settlement deal was announced for costs linked to the remediation of a former C&D Batteries superfund site in New York State.