brown's battery breaking

446 FISHER DAM RD

The Brown's Battery Breaking site, in Shoemakersville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, is a 14-acre abandoned battery recycling facility that was operated from 1961 to 1971. Three families were living on the site when the state discovered elevated levels of lead in children living in these residences. EPA then studied the site and found soil and surface water contamination. There is a fence around the perimeter of the site to restrict public access. The site is bordered by Conrail tracks to the west, the Schuylkill River to the southeast, and Mill Creek to the southwest. It lies within the flood plain of the Schuylkill River. Approximately 220 people live within one-mile of the site. There are 1,000 people within three miles of the site who depend on groundwater for drinking water supplies. Two private residential wells are located on site. The adjacent Schuylkill River is used as a potable water source, as well as for recreation.