Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Saint Helena Manufacturing (Former Millennium Specialty Chemicals) in Baltimore, Maryland
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
The responsible party for the St. Helena Site is the Lyondell Environmental Custodial Trust (the Trust), a bankruptcy trustee. EPA issued an Administrative Order on Consent to the Trust on August 19, 2010, which required Site investigation and remedy evaluation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. EPA is the lead for investigation oversight, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
Cleanup Status
The Facility completed environmental investigations for on-Site soil and groundwater and preliminary off-Site contamination in Colgate Creek and in July 2017 submitted the results to EPA and MDE in the RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) Report. EPA and MDE accepted the RFI with comments. In September 2018, the Facility submitted an evaluation of clean-up/remedy alternatives in the Corrective Measures Study (CMS), which also addressed EPA and MDE’s RFI comments. EPA and MDE the CMS and selected a final remedy after a public comment period that ended in August 2019. The final remedy addresses on-Site soil and groundwater contamination. Construction of the on-Site remedy will begin after EPA and MDE approve construction design and permits are obtained. Sediment contamination in Colgate Creek will be addressed after further investigation in 2020 to 2021.
Contaminants of concern are principally metals. Arsenic, barium, cadmium and lead exceeded MDE and EPA screening levels in surficial and subsurface soil in the southern industrial portion of the site. In groundwater, aluminum, barium, cadmium, lead and zinc exceeded MDE groundwater screening levels in boundary wells along Colgate Creek. Colgate Creek sampling results indicate that more sediment sampling is necessary to fully delineate impacts.
On August 26, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the Final Remedy for RCRA Corrective Action for the on-site portion of the Former Millennium Specialty Chemicals property (Facility) in Baltimore, MD. EPA 's Final Remedy consists of: (1) installation of an engineered cover/cap over exposed soil; (2) a stormwater system upgrade; (3) creek bank stabilization; (4) monitored natural attenuation ofmetals in groundwater within Facility boundaries, which constitutes the technically impracticable boundary for groundwater clean-up, and (5) land and groundwater use controls. The Final Remedy is based on EPA's findings as detailed in the Statement of Basis.
Site Description
Millennium Specialty Chemicals manufactured paint pigments at the St. Helena Facility from 1921 to 2005. Amorphous silica gel was produced from 1969 to 2006. The Facility declared bankruptcy in 2006 and ceased operations in 2007. By 2008, Site structures were demolished and removed, and the Site surface leveled. Paint pigment production included zinc and cadmium lithopone, cadmium pure, titanium dioxide and other inorganic pigments. The Site is currently fenced and unused, with asphalt covering much of the surface, with some unpaved, vegetated areas. The property will be conveyed to a new owner for redevelopment.
Contaminants at this Facility
Investigation of surficial and subsurface soil at the Facility showed that releases from the manufacturing processes showed exceedances of EPA’s soil screening levels for industrial settings, primarily for four metals: arsenic, barium, cadmium and lead. Investigation of groundwater found exceedances of aluminum, barium, cadmium, lead and zinc in localized areas. Site-related metals were found at elevated levels in sediment in the adjacent Colgate Creek.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional and Engineering Controls for restricting land and groundwater use will be a part of the final remedy for this Site.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The site's future use is is yet to be determined.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from Maryland DEP.