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16th Street Quarry
Current Site Information
EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)
DelawareNew Castle County
1601 North Spruce Street
Wilmington, Delaware
EPA ID# DESFN0305308
1st Congressional District
Last Update: May 2004
No future updates
Other Names
NoneCurrent Site Status
Site cleanup has been completed. A total of 17 drums and one tank were removed and disposed. Soil contamination was cleaned up. Quarry sediments were sampled, and contained no significant contamination. No further cleanup is necessary at the site.
Site Description
The 16th Street Quarry is a long-abandoned, water-filled, historic, hard-rock quarry. It covers approximately 2 acres and is up to 60 feet deep. It is located on the grounds of the H. Fletcher Brown Boys and Girls Club within 200 feet of the Brandywine Creek and it borders the Diamond State Salvage Site. The Site was of concern because it was reported that Wilmington Police/Fire Dive teams once used the Site for practice dives and discovered the drums. They attempted to remove a drum and it opened. The divers experienced burning (itching) skin and eyes. EPA later sampled a drum found near the quarry and found polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the drum.
Site Responsibility
This Site was adressed by an EPA Superfund Removal Action.NPL Listing History
This Site is not on the National Priorities List.Threats and Contaminants
Low concentrations of xylene compounds were found in one drum and are not considered significant and do not pose any threat to public or environmental health. EPA activated the Superfund due to historic anecdotal information and the analyses from the nearby drum.
Cleanup Progress
In October 1998, EPA removed 17 drums and 1 tank from the 16th Quarry Site. The drums were among approximately 45 submerged drums found in up to 50 feet of water. Of the 45 drums, 28 were found to be empty. The 17 drums found to be relatively intact and containing something were pulled from the quarry, over packed and sampled. One of the drums was found to contain hazardous substances in low concentrations. All 17 drums were properly disposed.