Hazardous Waste Cleanup: National Can Corporation in Morrisville, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
National Can Corp. was at a 14.2-acre parcel (Parcel) located within the US Steel Fairless Works Facility (Facility) located on 2500 acres in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The Parcel was formerly leased and operated by National Can Corporation from 1967 until 1989 and is now part of the Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC), a redevelopment project underway at the Facility. The Facility, including the Parcel, is subject to the corrective action provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In 1993, EPA and US Steel (formerly USX Corporation) entered into a RCRA Consent Order to remediate the Facility. The Parcel is currently owned by Samax Enterprises Inc.
In 1998, U.S. Steel submitted a Notice of Intent to remediate under the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2), 35 P.S. Sections 6026.101 et seq. In 2005, U.S. Steel joined the EPA Region 3 One Cleanup Program – which provides a framework for RCRA facilities to satisfy EPA corrective action obligations while concurrently receiving a release from liability from PADEP for remediation when Act cleanup standards are met. In 2008, Samax received a Final Report approval from PADEP stating the investigation and remediation of the soil at the Parcel was complete under Act 2. In April 1999, PADEP designated the entire shallow aquifer beneath the Facility as a non-use aquifer defined as groundwater that is not used or currently planned to be used. Land and groundwater restrictions to prevent human exposure to contaminants at the Facility have been implemented through PADEP’s existing environmental covenant recorded in 2008.
The public notice for the Statement of Basis was posted in a newspaper local to Morrisville, Pa. on June 1, 2016 and the thirty-day comment period ended July 1, 2016. No comments from the public were received. EPA issued a Statement of Basis (SB) in which it described the information gathered during environmental investigations at the Facility and proposed a Final Remedy for the Facility. Since EPA did not receive any comments on the SB and EPA has determined it was not necessary to modify the proposed Final Remedy set forth in the SB, the remedy proposed in the SB is the Final Remedy selected by EPA for the Facility on July 19, 2016.
FINAL REMEDY DECISION
Under this remedy, some contaminants remain in the soil and groundwater above levels appropriate for residential uses. EPA’s proposed remedy, therefore, requires compliance with and maintenance of soil and groundwater use restrictions. The land and groundwater restrictions proposed by EPA to prevent human exposure to contaminants at the Facility have already been implemented through PADEP’s existing environmental covenant recorded in 2008.
Site Description
The Parcel is currently vacant and is occupied by a 172,732 square foot warehouse, 4,916 square feet of office space and 112 paved parking spaces.
Contaminants at this Facility
Groundwater included small amounts of organic contaminants, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, and naphthalene and inorganic constituents, such as mercury, lead, and iron.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
| Restrictions or Controls that Address: | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
|
Groundwater Use
|
X
|
|
|
Residential Use
|
X
|
|
|
Excavation
|
|
X
|
|
Vapor Intrusion
|
|
X
|
|
Capped Area(s)
|
|
X
|
|
Other Engineering Controls
|
|
X
|
|
Other Restrictions
|
|
X
|
Institutional Controls for the facility include:
Soils:
The Parcel shall be restricted to commercial and/or industrial purposes and shall not be used for residential purposes. This restriction has been implemented through the PADEP environmental covenant recorded in 2008.
Groundwater:
For groundwater at the Parcel, EPA is requiring the implementation of institutional controls with no further remedial actions required at this time. Monitoring at the Facility has shown that groundwater under the Parcel has detected contaminants but below their MCLs and that the contamination originates from other areas within the area. EPA’s remedy for groundwater at the Parcel consists of the following groundwater use restrictions:
Groundwater at the Parcel shall not be used for any purpose other than the operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities currently being required by PADEP and/or EPA.
No new wells shall be installed on the Parcel, unless such wells are necessary for the performance or completion of remedial activities required by PADEP and/or EPA.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility is currently unused.
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.