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Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Mactac - Scranton Facility in Moosic, Pennsylvania

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Cleanup Status

EPA is currently reviewing the existing environmental information to determine if further investigation and/or corrective action will be required at the site. EPA will first focus on the health and groundwater impacts, if any, presented by the facility. On July 14, 2015, EPA determined that the Human Health Exposures Under Control  had been met, and on April 30, 2018 EPA determined that the  Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Under Control  had been met.

 
 



 

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Site Description

Interactive Map of Mactac - Scranton Facility,Scranton, Pennsylvania


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MACtac is a specialty coater of a variety of papers, films, and foils utilizing solvent based, aqueous based, hot melt, and 100% solid silicone systems.  The coatings are currently applied by four production coaters using state of the art coating technologies.  There are approximately 25 different coatings used at the facility.

The facility was established on January 4, 1963 by Litton Business Systems, under the name of Communication Papers.

The facility does not have a history of unaddressed spills that would indicate surface soil contamination.  Currently, there is no storage or manufacturing located in an area that would impact surface soils.  Groundwater seeps through fractured bedrock to former mine shafts in the Scranton area.  Due to this groundwater situation, contamination is not suspected. 

There are no surface water bodies or sediment located near the facility.  A certain amount of residual contamination exists in the area of the former underground storage tank farm.  It was not feasible to excavate these soils due to their location immediately adjacent to a water tower structure.  The tank closures received Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) approval in the 1990s.

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Contaminants at this Facility

The hazardous waste storage area closure was approved by Pennsylvania Department of Environment (PADEP) in 1985.  The only other hazardous materials storage on site was in above ground and underground tanks, loading and unloading stations, and several processes.  No releases, sampling, or remediation has occurred relating to any of these areas, other than underground storage tanks.  In September 1989 and July 1991, the tanks were either excavated and removed or cleaned and closed in place.  After several excavations and removal of soil, a residual amount of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon remains in the subsurface near the water tower structure.  Due to its location, further soil removal is not feasible.  This remaining residual does not pose a risk to human health or the environment, provided the land is not used for residential purposes.

Due to past mining activities in the Scranton area which has impacted groundwater quality, the mine locations that directly underlay the facility, and that groundwater seeps through fractured coal beds to the former mine shafts, groundwater in the area of the facility is not used as a source of potable water.  A public water system supplies water to the area.

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Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

EPA is proposing in its Corrective Action "Statement of Basis", that restrictions be placed on land use at the Facility to ensure that that usage of the property remain non-residential. 

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Land Reuse Information at this Facility

The site 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. 

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