The management and final disposition of toxic waste at the former Howes Leather site in Frank, West Virginia—now known as the East Fork Industrial Park—have transitioned from historical on-site disposal to modern remediation under state and federal oversight.
Historical Disposal and Contamination
During its operation from the early 1900s until 1994, the tannery produced approximately 200,000 gallons of effluent daily. Historical disposal methods for this potentially hazardous waste included:
Lagoons and Trenches: Approximately 40% of potentially hazardous tannery wastes were historically disposed of in on-site trenches or lagoons.
Landfill Disposal: Roughly 60% of hazardous waste was sent to some form of landfill during the facility's operational years.
Contaminants of Concern: The site is contaminated with heavy metals (including Chromium-6), PCBs, inorganic contaminants, and volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Chromium-6 (hexavalent chromium) has been specifically identified as a contaminant of concern at Howes Leather that threatens local surface water and a nearby public supply well.
Dedicated Remediation Projects (1997–2012)
After Pocahontas County acquired the site in the mid-1990s, several major environmental projects were undertaken to secure the toxic materials:
Sludge Removal and Containment (2001): The Pocahontas County Commission paid $400,000 for the removal of toxic sludge and the construction of a clay-lined sludge pit on the property to entomb the material safely.
Early Clean-up (Pre-1997): More than $300,000 was spent on initial demolition, debris removal, and environmental work shortly after the facility's closure.
Asbestos Abatement (2012): Nearly $18,000 was spent to remove asbestos-containing materials from buildings on the site to prevent further environmental release.
Current Disposition and Monitoring
The site is currently undergoing a formal cleanup funded by a $497,697 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant awarded in 2023. The current disposition strategy includes:
Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP): The site has been entered into the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Voluntary Remediation Program.
Groundwater Monitoring: As part of this program, new groundwater testing wells are being drilled and must be monitored for pollution for a minimum of three years.
Tank Demolition (2023–2024): Above-ground tanks previously used for the tannery’s wastewater treatment plant were demolished for $13,000 to eliminate the risk and liability of registering them with the DEP.
On-Site Debris Disposal: To manage non-hazardous demolition debris, the county received a permit for a two-acre Class-D disposal facility located directly on the tannery property. All hazardous materials, including identified toxins, must still be manifested and transported to authorized hazardous waste facilities.
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