Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Philadelphia Coke Company Incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
Since the facility ceased operations in 1982, access to the property has been restricted by a perimeter fence of the main area. Highly contaminated soils were removed and appropriately disposed, while mildly contaminated soils were remediated with other remedial methods such as bioremediation. The facility was certified as closed in accordance with the closure plan in 1994.
A site visit on August 11, 2011, confirmed that all operations of the facility have been decommissioned, dismantled, and removed, with only cracked portions of concrete pads and asphalt paved areas remaining. The entire property is now overgrown with trees, brush and high grasses.
In April 2013, EPA determined that the Human Health Exposures Under Control and the Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Environmental Indicators had been met. These Environmental Indicator evaluations took indicates that the migration of "contaminated" groundwater has stabilized.
Site Description
Interactive map of Philadelphia Coke Company Incorporated, Philadelphia, PA
View larger mapThe facility is located at 4501 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on a flat, 63-acre industrial site in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. The property is bordered by Richmond, Orthodox, and Buckius Streets, as well as the Delaware River. The main portion of the property, north of the former railroad tracks, is entirely enclosed by a chain linked fence.
The facility was operated by PCC from 1929 to 1982. The facility had various operations including coke storage, coal storage, coke oven batteries, a rail line, a smoke stack, decanter tar bottoms, gas holders, a boiler house, a machine shop, fuel blending operations, and other structures. The Philadelphia Coke Company, Incorporated (PCC or facility) operated a gas manufacturing and coke production facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to a 1942 land use map, the property was owned by the Koppers Company (Koppers), which held the controlling interest in a joint venture with Eastern Enterprises. In 1950, Eastern Enterprises split from Koppers. PCC was a division of Eastern Associated Coal Corporation, a subsidiary of Eastern Enterprises. A 1962 land use map identified the facility was owned by PCC, which maintained ownership during the facility’s decommissioning.
In November 2000, KeySpan Corporation acquired Eastern Enterprises. Subsequently, in February 2007, National Grid USA purchased KeySpan Corporation. The City of Philadelphia Property Assessors website and stormwater website identified the property as being owned by Eastern Enterprises.
The facility was decommissioned, the structures were dismantled, and various cleanup and closure activities took place from 1982 through 1988, ultimately removing 30,000 tons of contaminated soil and operational related wastes. The site also underwent various environmental investigations including groundwater monitoring and soil sampling activities. Certified closure of the facility was provided to The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) in December 1994. As a result of stabilized groundwater monitoring trends of contamination, PADEP terminated the groundwater monitoring requirement in 1999
Contaminants at this Facility
Contaminants of concern are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) detected in groundwater
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Currently there are no Institutional Controls at the facility.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The Site is 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 with assistance from PADEP.