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Hazardous Waste Cleanup: General Electric Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania

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Cleanup Status

An Environmental Indicator (EI) Inspection was performed and a Final EI Report was submitted in December 2002.  EPA reviewed the EI report and as a result scheduled a site visit and meeting on October 19, 2008 to discuss areas that may need to be investigated to satisfy Corrective Action obligations.  On January 7, 2009, General Electric (GE) submitted a response to address Solid Waste Management units (SWMUs) and other areas of concern as a result of the meeting. Several SWMUs were determined to have been addressed, but the following were determined to require further investigation: SWMU 1 – Waste Disposal Area NW Corner, SWMU 2- Waste Disposal Area NE Corner, SWMU 5- Open Pit Burning Area, and sitewide groundwater.

Soil and groundwater sampling activities were performed and subsequent Corrective Action Reports were submitted in 2009, 2010, 2012 and a Final Corrective Action Investigation Report in September 2016. Based on the results of these investigations, EPA determined that all SWMUs and sitewide groundwater were satisfactorily evaluated and that no further soil investigation is necessary. Additionally, groundwater exceedances are limited to one small area and data trends showed the constituents are stable or decreasing.

In April 2017, EPA proposed a Statement of Basis to solicit public comment on its proposed remedy for the GE Transportation facility located in Erie, Pennsylvania. No comments were received. Consequently, the EPA made a determination that land and groundwater use restrictions, groundwater monitoring, implementation of health and safety measures, and compliance with a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Post-Closure Permit are necessary in a Final Decision issued on May 17, 2017.

EPA received notification that on February 25, 2019 the GE Transportation facility would no longer be affiliated with the General Electric Company and is now owned by Wabtec Corporation and operated by Wabtec US Rail, Inc.

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Site Description

Interactive map of General Electric Transportation, Erie, PA

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The General Electric Transportation Systems facility is located at 2901 East Lake Road in Lawrence Park Township outside of Erie, PA (Facility). The Facility currently covers approximately 350 acres and includes 4 million square feet of manufacturing floor space in 16 major and several ancillary buildings. The north border is approximately 2,500 feet from the south shore of Lake Erie. The plant is bordered on its eastern side by Four Mile Creek, which runs north to Lake Erie and on its southern side by commercial railroad lines. Residential areas border the site to the west.

The Facility manufactures diesel and electric locomotives, motorized wheels for off-highway construction vehicles, propulsion equipment for mass transit, and drives for oil and gas well drilling rigs. The Facility processes include metalworking, fabricating and finishing. A coal-fired power plant is operated on-site to furnish electricity and steam in order to supply the processes.The Facility also operates an on-site industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Facility utilizes many materials, including petroleum products (diesel fuel, gasoline and lubricating oils), acids used in metal cleaning/etching and wastewater treatment, alkali cleaning solutions, solvents used in cleaning, painting and degreasing, and paints, thinners, varnishes and related materials.

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Contaminants at this Facility

The GE facility utilizes many materials, including petroleum products (diesel fuel, gasoline and lubricating oils), acids used in metal cleaning/etching and wastewater treatment, alkali cleaning solutions, solvents used in cleaning, painting and degreasing, and paints, thinners, varnishes and related materials.

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Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

The need for Institutional Controls is yet to be determined. 

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Land Reuse Information at this Facility

The facility is under continued use.

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Site Responsibility at this Facility

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 with assistance from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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