Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Industrial Wastes Incorporated in Darlington, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
This facility is one of EPA Region III’s high priority Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action sites.
Industrial Waste Inc. (IWI) is a closed hazardous waste landfill. As such, current and future access is restricted to required operation and maintenance activity. IWI continues to collect and treat leachate and impoundment dike seeps at the facility.
IWI continues to sample off-site private well water and provide bottled water, as a precaution to insure protection of human health at nearby residential properties.
The PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) routinely inspects the facility for compliance with its 1986 Post-Closure Plan requirements. Post-closure requirements include monitoring of the perimeter groundwater well network, the collection and treatment of leachate from the landfill, and operation and maintenance of all facility structures and systems.
On September 30, 2002, EPA determined, with Pennsylvania's help, that both the Human Exposures and Groundwater Environmental Indicators have been met. EPA believes that the past actions and current/future requirements under the Post-Closure Plan address the corrective action issues and, therefore, EPA is not contemplating additional work at this time.
In May 2015, EPA issued a corrective action remedial decision which requires: 1) IWI to continue to comply with the terms and conditions of the Consent Order and the 1986 PADEP-approved Post Closure Plan and 2) IWI shall implement groundwater and land use restrictions at the facility through an environmental covenant. The environmental covenant was recorded on 8/9/2016.
Site Description
Interactive map of Industrial Wastes Incorporated, Darlington, PA
View larger mapIWI is located at 405 North State-Line Road, Darlington, Pennsylvania 16115. It is situated on approximately 493 acres in Beaver County. The landfills occupy approximately 45 acres of the Facility property. The areas at the Facility located outside of the 45 acres occupied by the closed landfills are undeveloped and were not used as part of the Facility's disposal activities. The Facility consists of three adjacent surface impoundments, which were used for the disposal of industrial waste (primarily pickle liquor from local steel mills) from 1958 until 1982. In 1982, the Facility stopped receiving waste. In 1983, the impoundments were capped and covered with two feet of clean fill, and seeded with grass under the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PADER). Prior to use as a disposal facility, the entire area had been stripped mined and deep mined for coal. The Facility completed inspecting, cleaning and replacing parts of the seep collection system in 2001 to improve seep collection efforts. A comprehensive private water source sampling effort was completed in November, 2001, to determine possible impacts from the closed impoundments. PADEP has reviewed these results and concluded there is no adverse impact to private water supplies. The main contaminants of concern at the Facility include chloride, sulfate, nitrate, ammonia and heavy metals. On-going groundwater sampling shows that releases from the Facility are controlled by the cap structures and leachate collection system.
Contaminants at this Facility
The main contaminants of concern at the Facility include chloride, sulfate, nitrate, ammonia and heavy metals.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
An Environmental Covenant, pursuant to the Pennsylvania Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, 27 Pa. C.S. Sections 6501-6517 (UECA), was recorded with the deed for the IWI property on 8/9/2016. The covenant prohibits residential use of the property, prohibits groundwater use for purposes other than monitoring, and requires protection of the landfill caps.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility is unused.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of PA DEP with assistance from EPA Region 3.