EPA RCRA ID: PAD056602923
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The EPA is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
During the last quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014, Prior Coated Metals has been characterizing the soil and groundwater at their site. The primary objective of the site characterization activities was to further assess the presence and extent of impacted media associated with several identified Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs), including the Paint Storage Room and Spent Solvent/Paint Cartridge Area and exterior area to the plant east of that location. These activities were performed to support release of liability under Act 2 and to satisfy RCRA Corrective Action obligations under the "One Cleanup" Program.
On April 21. 2016, EPA determined that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control.
In September 2016, EPA finalized the Corrective Action remedy which consists of the following components:
1) Establishing a Technical Impracticability Boundary for groundwater
2) Groundwater monitoring and reporting of Contaminants of Concern (COCs) to insure the constituent levels remain stable (or decrease) and the small contaminant plume remains within its current boundaries
3) Compliance with the Environmental Covenant which was recorded on the title to the Facility Property with the Lehigh County Recorder of Deeds on February 19, 2016 (see Attachments 8-9 ).
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
Site processes include cleaning, painting, and heating cold-rolled galvanized coils of metal. The Facility houses a 390-foot long process line (in operation since 1962) that is generally comprised of the following components: cleaning/oil removal, chromic acid rinse, paint spray tower, ovens, and metal specification cutting. A drainage system located beneath the cleaning and chrome rinse lines empties into a concrete-lined sump that discharges wastewater to an on-site wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).
The on-site WWTP, which is used for pre-treatment of wastes generated by the process line, has been on-line since November 1986. Prior to 1986, process-related wastewater was discharged directly to Allentown City’s sewer system under a permit issued by the City in February 1976. Semi-annual monitoring of effluent began in 1981. Exceedances of the permitted parameters, in particular chromium (detected at concentrations up to 1,200 parts per billion [ppb]), were identified on several occasions in the wastewater effluent.
Process wastes generated by the plant include wastewater that flows to a transfer pump and is pumped into chrome reduction tanks. Sodium metabisulfite and ferrous sulfate are added to enhance the chrome-reduction process. The water is pumped into a waste holding tank to control pH levels, followed by pumping into a precipitation tank at which point lime is added to aid in the settling of chromium hydroxide sludge. The sludge is pumped to a filter press where it is de-watered. The resulting filter cake is stored in a plastic-lined, roll-off sludge and removed off-site by Envirite Corporation.
Contaminants at this Facility
Contaminants of primary concern are Volatile Organic Compounds in the groundwater that include: 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane (TCA), 1,1-dichloroethene (DCE), 1,2,4-TMB, 1,3,5-TMB, benzene, cis-1,2-DCE, tetrachloroethene (PCE), toluene, and trichloroethane (TCE).
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional Controls consist of the following:
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The Facility property shall be restricted to use as non-residential property, as defined by the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act, 35 P.S. § 6026.103.
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Groundwater from beneath the Facility property shall not be used for drinking water and commercial agricultural use(s), including, but not limited to, irrigation of crops, watering of livestock, and food production, processing, or packaging without appropriate treatment and/or approval provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environment (PADEP) and EPA.
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Any excavation or other intrusive activity that could result in contact with contaminated groundwater or soil within the extent of area of impact is prohibited unless supported by a site-specific health and safety plan approved by PADEP and/or EPA.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.