The C & R Battery Company, Inc. National Priorities List Site is located in an industrial area of Chesterfield County, Virginia, approximately six miles southeast of Richmond, Virginia. From the early 1970s until 1985, the site operated as a battery sawing and shredding facility designed to recover lead from discarded automobile and truck batteries. The facility generated significant waste, including lead and other heavy metals, plastic battery casing material, and sulfuric acid. High levels of lead contamination were detected on-site and in drainage ditches leading to the James River, posing risks to migratory birds, fish, freshwater mussels, and other aquatic life.
The facility ceased operations in 1985 and was placed on the NPL in July 1987. In 1994, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entered into an Administrative Order by Consent with all de minimis potentially responsible parties—entities that had disposed of batteries at the site. By 1999, all responsible parties had settled with EPA, the Department of the Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration trustees received $63,523 in funding for restoration projects within the James River watershed.
A Restoration Plan was completed in 2009 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, outlining preferred restoration efforts at Presquile National Wildlife Refuge (PNWR). Restoration activities focused on riverbank stabilization, riparian buffer planting, and the establishment of a native tree nursery. Between 2009 and 2018, PNWR implemented various riparian habitat protection and enhancement measures, including four acres of riparian planting with trees such as pine, chestnut oak, white oak, bald cypress, and river birch, as well as annual treatment of approximately ten acres for invasive species. In 2015, a tree nursery was established, with an expected annual production of 2,000 native trees, providing a continuous source of seedlings for ongoing restoration efforts.
Restoration projects were completed with significant volunteer assistance, including students from the James River Ecology School, Girl Scouts, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff. The final portion of funding was used in May 2024 to obtain drone photos documenting the restored area. Any ongoing monitoring and maintenance will now be managed as part of PNWR’s normal refuge operations.