Five Year Review Report
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FIVE YEAR REVIEW REPORT PUBLICKER INDUSTRIES SUPERFUND SITE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Prepared by: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Signature Cover Page Five Year Review Publicker Industries Superfund Site Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Site Identification Site Name: Publicker Industries EPAID: PAD981939200 Region: EPA Region III State: Pennsylvania City, County: Philadelphia Site Status NPL status: F Remediation status: construction complete Multiple OUs: Yes. There are three Operable Units. Construction completion date; December 2, 1997 (date of Preliminary Close Out Report) Fund/PRP/Federal facility lead: Operable Unit #1 and #2 were fund-lead and Operable Unit #3 was remediated by the Prospective Purchasers. Lead Agency: EPA Has site been put into reuse?: Yes Review Status: Who conducted the review (EPA, state,): EPA Region III Author name: Kristine Matzko Author title: Remedial Project Manager Author affiliation: EPA Region III Review Period: September 1999 - February 2000 Date(s) of site inspection: September 8, 1999 Highlight (statutory or policy): statutory Review Number (1,2 ): 2 Triggering action event: date of on-site construction Trigger action date: October, 1989 Due Date: October, 1999 Page 1 AR300245 Signature Cover Page Five Year Review Publicker Industries Super-fund Site Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Deficiencies: None Recommendations and Required Actions: To continue conducting statutory reviews for the Site and to evaluate the deed notice during the review. Protectiveness Statement(s): The remedial actions for the Publicker Industries Superfund Site have been completed. The remedial actions at Operable Unit #1. Operable Unit #2, and Operable Unit #3 are protective of the environment and human health for non-residential uses. The remedial actions were implemented in accordance with the respective Records of Decision. Next Five Year Review: The next five vear review will be conducted bv Fobruarv 2005. Signature of Division Director and Date: Abraham Ferdas, Director Date Hazardous Site Cleanup Division Table of Contents Five Year Review Publicker Industries Superfund Site I. Authority Statement...................................................................................................................... 1 II. Site Chronology........................................................................................................................... 2 A. Site Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 2 B. Listing of Site..................................................................................................................2 C. Removal Action ..............................................................................................................3 D. Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study ....................................................................... 3 III. Remedial Actions ...................................................................................................................... 3 A. Record of Decision Operable Unit # I ............................................................................. 4 B. Record of Decision Operable Unit #2 ............................................................................ 4 C. Prospective Purchaser Agreement and Operable Unit #3 ............................................... 4 D. Record of Decision Operable Unit #3 ........................................................................... 5 E. Quality Assurance .......................................................................................................... 6 IV. Five Year Review Process ........................................................................................................ 7 V. Recommendations...................................................................................................................... 7 VI. Protectiveness Statement.......................................................................................................... 7 VII. Next Review............................................................................................................................ 8 Attachments: Site Map Deed Notice flR3002U7 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Five Year Review Publicker Industries Superfund Site Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I. Authority Statement EPA Region III conducted a five year review of the remedial actions implemented at the Publicker Industries Superfund Site in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania pursuant to OSWER Directive 9355.7-03B-P (draft, April 1999). [Previous directives were OSWER Directive 9355.7-02 in May 1991 and OSWER Directive 9355.7-02A in July 1994]. The purpose of a five year review is to ensure that a remedial action remains protective of human health and the environment and is functioning as designed. This is a statutory review. EPA must implement five year reviews consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). CERCLA § 121 (c), as amended, states: If the President selects a remedial action that results in any hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remaining at the site, the President shall review such remedial action no less often than each five years after the initiation of such remedial action to assure that human health and the environment are being protected by the remedial action being implemented. The NCP Part 300,403{f)(4)(ii} of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) states: If a remedial action is selected that results in hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remaining at the site above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure, the lead agency shall review such action not less often than every five years after the initiation of the selected remedial action. As described by both the CERCLA and the NCP, if waste is left on-site a five year reviev. is required by both statute and regulation. In the case of Publicker Industries Superfund Site (Site), a deed notice has been filed for the Site in accordance with the Record of Decision for Operable Unit 3. This deed notice is a type of an institutional control. According to OSWER Directive 9355.7-03B-P (draft, April 1999) an institutional control placed on a site requires statutory reviews. The deed notice for this Site is designed to inform owners that the Site was .1 Publicker Five Year Review 1 February AR3002t*8 hazardous waste site and that during any future excavation activities monitoring will be conducted to protect workers' safety. This is the second five year review for the Publicker Industries Superfund Site. The first five year review was completed on October 2, 1996. This first review was also a statutory review. The finding from the first five year review was that the Site was not yet protective of human health and the environment since the remedy for the third and final Operable Unit had not yet been implemented. II. Site Chronology A. Site Characteristics The Publicker Industries Superfund Site (Site) is located in southeastern Philadelphia. The Site is bordered to the east by the Delaware River, to the north by the Ashland Chemical Company, to the south by the Packer Marine Terminal and New Orleans Cold Storage, and to the west by Christopher Columbus Boulevard (formerly Delaware Avenue). The Site is adjacent to, and partially under the Walt Whitman Bridge, which spans the Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. The Site covers approximately 42 acres. (Site map attached) Publicker Industries (Publicker) owned and operated a liquor and industrial alcohol manufacturing plant at the Site from 1912 to late 1985. The Site was also used as a petroleum product and chemical storage facility during the late 1970's and early 1980's. Based on the review of Site records, numerous chemicals were manufactured or stored at the Site during plant operation. Publicker discontinued operations in February 1986 and, later that year, Publicker sold the property to the Overland Corporation. Overland Corporation declared bankruptcy and abandoned the Site in November 1986. In 1994 Delaware Avenue Enterprises, Incorporated (DAE), Cresmont Limited Partnership (Cresmont), and Holt Cargo Systems Incorporated (Holt) entered into a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with EPA and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). On January 1, 1995 DAE purchased the Site from the bankrupt estate of Overland Corporation. Currently, the Site supports the activities of the adjacent marine terminal. B. Listing of Site In May 1989, the Site scored 59.99 on the Hazard Ranking System, and was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1989. Publicker Five Year Review 2 February AR3002U9 C. Removal Action The Site contained the remains of nearly 440 structures including large tanks, chemical laboratories, reaction vessels, production buildings, warehouses, and power plants, From December 1987 to December 1988. EPA conducted an emergency removal action which included the stabilization of site-facilities, characterization of the contents of drums and tanks, bulking and securing of over 850,000 gallons of numerous waste streams, off-site disposal of laboratory containers, and removal of liquids from above-grade process lines. D. Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) activities began in November 1988.