Learn the Issues
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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Overview
Overview of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
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Sustainable Materials Management Basics
SMM is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection
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How is EPA collecting soil samples in the Study Area?
EPA will collect soil samples by using an incremental sampling method (taking several small soil samples across a property, then combining them for the best average result). These samples will then be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Incremental sampling provides a more comprehensive result of the overall condition of…
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What does it mean when EPA finds contamination that “exceeds screening levels”?
Screening levels are not the same as cleanup or action levels. A screening level exceedance indicates the need for additional evaluation, potentially including a site-specific risk assessment.
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What kinds of contamination is EPA looking for when sampling in the Study Area?
EPA will look for contaminants like heavy metals including chromium, arsenic, and lead, and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as naphthalene or benzo(a)pyrene, in soil samples.
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How do you know you are not missing some areas that might be contaminated?
EPA will begin the Site Investigation by focusing on residential homes located closest to the former coke facility. This area of residential homes is known as the Study Area for the East Area Study Area. After EPA collects and analyzes the first round of soil samples from the Study…
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What questions are EPA trying to answer during the first round of sampling?
In the first round of sampling, EPA is looking to determine if there were any releases of contaminants from the former facility that could cause a public health risk to nearby residents.
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How does EPA develop a sampling plan for a site?
Generally, EPA begins to develop a sampling plan by gathering information about the site, including environmental history. Regarding the former Erie Coke Facility, EPA builds a sampling plan based on what we know about the former facility’s operations, information from PADEP’s prior investigations, and information from the community. The EPA…
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What is the difference between the investigation being conducted by PADEP at the Erie Coke facility and EPA’s Study Area?
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) continues to investigate the level and extent of potential contamination in surface water, soil, sediment, and subsurface groundwater at the Erie Coke facility. The current EPA East Avenue Study Area is focused on the soil conditions of the community and residential areas surrounding…
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What is the key question EPA tries to answer through a Site Investigation?
Findings of a Site Investigation determine what hazardous substances may be present, whether they may be released to the environment, and any potential threat to human health. Information about the site that is collected during the Site Investigation phase helps EPA evaluate the risks posed by the site. EPA will…
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What is a Site Investigation?
EPA conducts a Site Investigation to determine whether the potential threat or threats identified actually exist. The Site Investigation includes the collection of environmental samples from areas identified that have potential to contain hazardous substances or from areas where hazardous substances are present. The Site Investigation also determines whether hazardous…
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What is the difference between EPA’s Removal Action at the site from 2020 to 2022 and the current Study Area?
EPA’s Removal Action from 2020 to 2022 was a quick response to immediate threats from hazardous substances at the former Erie Coke facility to eliminate dangers to the public. During this time, EPA’s Removal team focused on sampling surface soils, coal, and coke residuals for hazardous substances, removing and properly…
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Could contaminants from the former coke facility leach into the groundwater from the soil?
There is low potential for drinking water contamination because no one in the surrounding community is using groundwater as a drinking water source. Drinking water intakes for the City of Erie are from Lake Erie miles out into the lake, far west of the site. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental…
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Why is EPA beginning a site investigation in 2024 when the Erie Coke facility existed for many decades in the past?
The Coke Facility was a permanent, operating facility from 1925 to 2019. The EPA Superfund Program does not investigate operating facilities. After the facility closed in 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) requested assistance from EPA's Removal Program to conduct assessment activities at the Erie Coke Site. Based…
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Is EPA focusing only on potential contamination from the former Erie Coke facility?
EPA will focus on contaminants that potentially came from historic air emissions from the former Erie Coke facility. These contaminants include Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and inorganic metals.
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West Coast Estuaries: National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015
NRSA 2013-14 Results for the Coastal Plains ecoregion
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Southeast Coast Estuaries: National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015
NRSA 2013-14 Results for the Coastal Plains ecoregion
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Great Lakes Nearshore Waters: National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015
NRSA 2013-14 Results for the Coastal Plains ecoregion
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Northeast Coast Estuaries: National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015
NRSA 2013-14 Results for the Coastal Plains ecoregion
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Relative Extent, Relative Risk and Attributable Risk
This page provides information on the analysis of relative extent, relative risk and attributable risk.