Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Sunoco Schuylkill River Tank Farm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
**NOTE – During the COVID-19 pandemic, EPA wants to assure the community that Evergreen continues to conduct all the required remedial activities under EPA and PADEP oversight. “Remediation services” are considered essential in Pennsylvania and our surrounding states. These activities include normal operation of all groundwater recovery as well as sewer ventilation and biofiltration remediation systems installed at the Facility. Investigations and remedy planning work (report update drafting, virtual meetings, etc.) and field work (operation & maintenance of current remedial systems, well sampling, well installation confirmation, etc.) continue to be implemented by Evergreen.**
The former Sunoco Schuylkill River Tank Farm is part of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) Refining and Marketing, LLC Refinery (Facility). The entire PES Facility consists of the Schuylkill River Tank Farm as well as the former Sunoco, Inc. Point Breeze Philadelphia Refinery and the former Sunoco, Inc. Girard Point Philadelphia Refinery. The Point Breeze Fact Sheet can be accessed here and Girard Point Fact Sheet can be accessed here.
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this Facility are being conducted under the One Cleanup Program Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) jointly between EPA Region 3 and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). Sunoco, Inc. submitted a Notice of Intent to Remediate (NIR) pursuant to of the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2) in October 2006. The MOA agreement was formalized on November 8, 2011 when EPA and PADEP signed a formal acceptance letter for participation in the program. For information on the MOA, please visit For more information on the MOA, please visit PA One Clean Up Program EXIT.
Two PADEP Consent Order and Agreements (1993 and 2003) require the Facility to address underground free phase hydrocarbon and to perform remediation activities.
The remedial program is based on a site wide cleanup approach. EPA received a work plan for the site wide cleanup approach under the One Cleanup Program in November 2011. To aid in the investigations and possible remedial efforts, the refinery was divided into Areas of Interest (AOIs) based upon operational areas and risk-based factors. The former Sunoco, Inc. Schuylkill River Tank Farm portion of the PES Facility consists of AOI 9. There are currently no groundwater or LNAPL remedial systems operational in AOI 9.
Site characterization has not yet been approved due to insufficient offsite groundwater delineation. Evergreen is currently addressing this deficiency.
Site Description
The Facility (about 211 acres) is a product storage and transhipment tank farm handling finished distillate, LPG products, and gasolines, containing a lead compound additive facility, pumps for discharge of finished products to pipeline systems, butane and intermediate storage for refinery, and LPG tank truck loading facilities. The Facility is an integral part of the refinery, being connected by pipelines under Schuylkill River.
Corrective Action requires evaluation of legacy releases from Facilities that treated, stored, or disposed of hazardous wastes. In accordance with the contracted sale of the former Sunoco, Inc. Point Breeze Philadelphia Refinery to Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing, LLC., Sunoco retains all environmental liabilities for past environmental issues through September 8, 2012. Effective December 30, 2013, Philadelphia Refinery Operations, a series of Evergreen Resources Group, LLC (Evergreen) assumed Sunoco’s legacy environmental liabilities. A captive insurance policy was created to financially assure these environmental issues will be addressed. Environmental liabilities following September 8, 2012 are managed by PES.
Contaminants at this Facility
The main contaminants in soil and groundwater are hydrocarbons and lead.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
There are no formal EPA or PADEP reviewed and approved institutional controls implemented at this time
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The Facility use has been continued as a refinery since PES became the owner and operator in September 2012
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 with assistance from PADEP.