Havertown PCP
EPA ID:PAD002338010
Havertown Township, PA 19083
Delaware County
Congressional District: 7th
Other Names: National Wood Preservers
Last Updated: December 2009
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager
Jill Lowe
215-814-3123
lowe.jill@epa.gov
Community Involvement Coordinator
Ruth Wuenschel
215-814-5540
wuenschel.ruth@epa.gov
Government Relations Coordinator
Eric Carlson
304-234-0233
carlson.eric@epa.gov
Bulletin Board
- Latest notice about excavation work (PDF) (1p, 20.4k)
- Third phase of cleanup underway
..
Questions
Ask a Question
Send an instant email to the Havertown site team.
On This Page
Related Links
Site Status
- The EPA has started work this year on the third phase of the Havertown PCP cleanup. The third phase, known as Operable Unit 3 or OU3, includes the following work:
- The groundwater treatment system has already been upgraded to treat a greater quantity of contaminated groundwater – up to 70 gallons per minute, up from the original 35 gallons per minute.
- The groundwater treatment system has already been upgraded to treat a greater quantity of contaminated groundwater – up to 70 gallons per minute, up from the original 35 gallons per minute.
- Installation of an additional deep extraction well which will withdraw contaminated groundwater from deep below the ground surface for treatment.
- Excavation of soil in a 50-by-50-foot area and in a narrow zone along a nearby abandoned sewer line in the Residential Open Space (ROS), an open area located behind Rittenhouse circle.
- Remove a portion of the sewer that is not sealed with grout.
- Backfill both excavated areas with clean soil and revegetate them.
- Install new monitoring wells and three new extraction wells that will withdraw shallow groundwater and pump it through an underground pipe back to the treatment plant in the ROS area.
- Conduct ecological sampling to demonstrate habitat and fish recovery.
- The EPA will also establish institutional controls site-wide, in the Source Area and ROS, to ensure the environmental cleanup is not compromised.
- EPA completed its third five-year review of the site in August 2005. The EPA found that there has been no new or recent exposure to site soils or
Background
- From 1947 to 1991, National Wood Preservers ran a wood treatment operation on this site in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
- The company reportedly disposed of liquid waste in a well leading to groundwater under the plant. The wastes where mostly oil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP).
- The liquid wastes leaked into nearby Naylor’s Run, a small stream that flows through a residential area and then empties into the Delaware River.
- Liquid wastes were also spilled on the surface, contaminating soil in the area.
- Approximately 26,000 people live within a mile of the site and there are no known users of the groundwater within a one mile radius of the site. The nearby population is on the public water supply.
Cleanup History
NPL Listing History
| Status: Final | Added: 1983 |
| Deleted: |
- In 1976, EPA performed various remedial actions to contain the contamination. The owners of the site were uncooperative with the EPA in addressing the contamination and the site was listed on the National Priorities List for federal cleanup.
- In 1987, the EPA put up a fence around the property to restrict access to the site and sponge-like barriers and a catch basin were installed in Naylor’s Run to contain chemicals.
- In 1992, EPA removed tanks and drums from the facility in which about 97,000 tons of liquids, 55 gallons of solids, and 60 tons of sludges – all containing hazardous wastes – were disposed of off site.
- A three-acre synthetic cap was installed in 1996 over the areas of contaminated soil in the vicinity of the source area, eliminating the threat of potential exposure.
- Since August 2001, the ground water treatment plant has been successfully operating full time and removing contamination from the shallow groundwater.
- In May 2003, EPA discovered an abandoned sewer line transferring contaminated groundwater to the Residential Open Space Area. The sewer line was properly cleaned and sealed.
- In the summer of 2005, EPA surveyed the area to determine property lines along Naylor’s Run, sampled soil and groundwater, and assessed the extent of the contamination caused by the leaking abandoned sewer line.
- EPA completed its third five-year review (PDF) (55 pp, 1.8MB) of the site in August 2005. The EPA found that there has been no new or recent exposure to site soils or groundwater.
- In April 2006, two additional extraction wells were added to the treatment facility.
- In April 2006, EPA finished construction of two more extraction wells which extract the contaminated groundwater from the deeper aquifer and transports it to the treatment system.
- The Remedial Investigation of the deep groundwater soils and sediments of Naylors Run as well as the ROS area were finalized in March 2007, and the Feasibility Study was finalized in August 2007
- EPA issued the Proposed Plan for the Site in August 2007 and the Public Comment period was from August 22, 2007 through October 21, 2007.
- The Record of Decision for the deep groundwater, soils and sediments of Naylor’s Run and the ROS area was signed on April 16, 2008.
Contaminants and Risks
- The groundwater, several soil areas were contaminated with PCP, arsenic, dioxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and petroleum hydrocarbons.
- Residents nearby are connected to the public water supply so nobody is using the contaminated water.
- The source area, where the National Wood Preserver operated, has been coverd by a hazerdous waste landfill cap, which elimimated the risk of contact to contaminated soils in this area.
- Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website.
Documents and Reports
- To search an on-line database of all documents and reports on the Havertown site, go to EPA’s Administrative Record Database.
- All documents and reports can also be reviewed in person at these locations:
U.S. EPA Region III
1650 Arch Street—6th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 814-3157
Call for an appointment.
- Some of the site’s key documents of interest are accessible below.
Record of Decision - OU3 (PDF) (200 pp, 18.5MB)
- Submit a FOIA Request
Get instructions on how to submit a FOIA request. $Fee$ for requests over 100 pages.
Photos, Maps and Diagrams
![]() |
||||
| Construction of the groundwater treatment system. |
(Click on a thumbnail to enlarge the photo)
Map of well locations (PDF) (1 p, 129k)
Map of groundwater flow (PDF) (1 p, 166k)
Aerial photo of groundwater contamination area (PDF) (1p, 5.96MB)
Community Information
- Site Progress Profile — a quick reference sheet, linking to EPA's Headquarters.
- Federal Registar
06/18/1999: Notice of Proposed Administrative Settlement Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as Amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act; Havertown PCP Superfund Site; CERCLA Sec. 122(g) Administrative Settlement (request for public comment)
05/04/1999: Notice of Lodging of Consent Decrees Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
- Fact Sheets
November 2009 (PDF) (1p, 20.4k)
April 2009 (PDF) (2 pp, 102k)
August 2007 (PDF) (4 pp, 141K)
September 1999
June 1997
April 1996
- Press Releases
- Newspaper Public Notices
August 2007 (PDF) (1 p, 33.9K)
September 2007 (PDF) (1 p, 33.6K)
Reuse Information
- No reuse is planned at this time.
![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif)
