Ambler, Pennsylvania was once the center for Asbestos production in the US. Now, it’s a place that needs to be cleaned up and the residents compensated for various asbestos-caused cancer and diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis. Ambler Asbestos Piles Current Site Information EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) Pennsylvania Montgomery County Borough of Ambler EPA ID# PAD000436436 13th Congressional District Last Update: December 2014 Other Names Nicolet Corporation CertainTeed Corporation Current Site Status The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed the cleanup for the 25-acre Ambler Asbestos Piles site on August 30, 1993. Human health threats and potential environmental impacts have been minimized, and the site was removed from the National Priorities List, EPA’s list of Superfund sites, December 27, 1996. Since 1997, four Five-Year Reviews of the site have all certified that the remedy continues to be protective of human health and the environment. However, in 2007 it was recognized that although the site was protective, there were no legally enforceable institutional controls on the site to prevent future disturbances to the constructed caps and erosion controls. EPA issued a January 2010 Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) to require institutional controls for the property and on April 10, 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an administrative order to the current owner of the Site. The legally enforceable order satisfies the requirement for institutional controls by prohibiting activities that could disturb the site remedies, unless plans are submitted to, and approved by, EPA and DEP prior to any activity. The most recent Five-Year Review of the remedies implemented at the Site, issued in September 2012, has shown that the Site continues to be protective of human health and the environment. Long-term operation and maintenance of the site is ongoing. Site Description The Ambler Asbestos Piles site is made up of three asbestos-containing waste piles and a series of filter bed lagoons. The total volume of asbestos-contaminated waste in the piles is estimated to exceed 1½ million cubic yards. The site is located in Ambler, Pennsylvania (13th Congressional District) and is surrounded by a mixed commercial/residential area. Approximately 6,000 people live within ½-mile of the site. The nearest residence is within 200 feet of one of the piles; about 40 residences are located within 1/4-mile. Wissahickon Creek and its flood plain border the site. The Piles were constructed with the deposition of both solid asbestos wastes that were dumped on the surface and liquid waste slurries that were pumped into constructed cinder berms and allowed to dry. Dumping of asbestos-containing waste on the site apparently began in the early 1930’s and continued until 1974. The EPA-approved final cleanup of the Ambler Asbestos Piles Site was completed on August 30, 1993. Site Responsibility The cleanup of this site was the responsibility of the federal government and parties potentially responsible for site contamination. NPL Listing History Our country’s most serious, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites can be cleaned using federal money. To be eligible for federal cleanup money, a site must be put on the National Priorities List. This site was proposed to the list on October 10, 1984 and formally added to the list June 10, 1986. Remedial actions are complete and this site was deleted from the list December 27, 1996. Threats and Contaminants During the pre-cleanup investigations, the air, ground water, soil, sediments, and surface water were found to be contaminated with asbestos. Contaminant descriptions and risk factors are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC. Cleanup Progress The cleanup of this Site was accomplished through the following actions. In 1974, the State denied permit applications for continued disposal and ordered the two companies that were operating at the site to stop dumping and to stabilize and cover the waste piles. Remedial Investigations were conducted on both parcels to determine the degree and extent of contamination. The investigations found asbestos in the soils, in on-site lagoon sludge, and on equipment in the Locust Street playground, adjacent to the Locust Street Pile. As an early response to these findings, the contaminated playground equipment was removed, the sides of the piles were reinforced with clean soil and security fencing was constructed around the site. Additional cleanup actions were selected and described in EPA-issued Records of Decisions in 1988 and 1989. These cleanup actions consisted of regrading and capping the pile plateaus; reinforcing the soil cover; installing erosion and sedimentation control devices; draining and backfilling the lagoons with clean soil; installing or upgrading the fencing/locking gates; posting warning signs; and monitoring the air. Where the piles bordered surface water, they were reinforced against erosion. These actions were completed and mitigate the threats of release of asbestos and exposure of the surrounding community. Two parties entered into separate Consent Decrees to design and implement the remedies. CertainTeed Corporation, as the current owner, conducted the work for Operable Unit 2 detailed in the November 1990 Consent Decree. T&N Industries, Inc., as the parent corporation of a previous owner, conducted the work for Operable Unit 1 under a May, 1991 Consent Decree. The remedies were implemented and on-site physical construction was completed in October 1992; EPA accepted the construction reports in April 1993. The construction of all remedies, along with all approvals and documentation, at the Ambler Asbestos Piles Superfund site was completed August 30, 1993 and the site was consequently deleted from the National Priorities List on December 27, 1996. Maintenance of the remedies constructed at this Site is conducted as part of an ongoing Operation and Maintenance Program. A major maintenance project was concluded in October 2010 with the reinforcement of the eroded banks of the Wissahickon immediately upstream of the revetment. Areas of the bank that had been scoured away by the stream were reinforced with angular rock (riprap) sized to resist erosion from the flowing stream. Three five-year reviews of the remedy were completed May 27, 1997, September 25, 2002, and September 25, 2007. All of the reviews certified that the cleanup of the site continues to be protective of human health and the environment. However, the 2007 five-year review recognized that although the site is protective as it exists now, there are no legally enforceable institutional controls on the site to prevent future disturbances to the constructed caps and erosion controls. In January 2010, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) to require that institutional controls be placed on the Site property. On April 10, 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an administrative order pursuant to the Pennsylvania Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (“HSCA”), to the current owner of the Site. The legally enforceable order satisfies the requirement for institutional controls by requiring that the owner comply with the requirements of the ESD, including the prohibition of activities that could disturb the site remedies, unless plans are submitted to, and approved by, EPA and DEP. Long-term operation and maintenance of the site is ongoing. The fourth five-Year Review of the remedies implemented at the Site, issued in September 2012, has shown that the Site continues to be protective of human health and the environment. Contacts Remedial Project Manager James J. Feeney 215-814-3190 feeney.james@epa.gov Community Involvement Coordinator Gina Nappi 215-814-5538 nappi.gina@epa.gov Governmental Liaison Kinshasa Brown-Perry 215-814-5404 brown-perry.kinshasa@epa.gov Administrative Record Locations Detailed public files (Administrative Record) on EPA’s actions and decisions for this site can be examined on-line or at the following locations: Wissahickon Valley Library Ambler Branch 209 Race Street Ambler, PA 19002 US EPA Region III Public Reading Room 1650 Arch Street – 6th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-814-3157 Please call for an appointment. www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD000436436.htm ========================================================== BoRit Asbestos Site EPA ID: PAD981034887 Location: 6 Maple Street Ambler, PA 19002 Montgomery County Congressional District: 13th Other Names: Borit Asbestos Site Status EPA’s Current Cleanup Work EPA is currently working to remove any potential risk from asbestos contamination at the BoRit Site, by covering all asbestos-containing materials throughout the site. The site consists of a 25-foot asbestos waste Pile, an 11-acre pond (also known as the reservoir), and an 11-acre former Park area. Three water bodies exist, either running through or alongside the park. So far, EPA has completed stream bank stabilization on the Wissahickon Creek, which runs along the perimeter of the site, and Tannery Run Creek, which runs alongside the pile. The stream bank stabilization of Rose Valley Creek, which runs between the Reservoir and Park, has been repaired due to the flood damage from recent hurricanes and storms. EPA has completed the cover on the Pile which included a liner, clean fill, and grass. EPA is implementing the design for the Park, which is the same as the Pile. Completion of the Park cover will be delayed because EPA is in the process of covering the asbestos-containing materials along the inside banks and bottom of the Reservoir. The Reservoir work began in January 2014. EPA is now pumping out the Reservoir, treating the water to meet state regulations for effluent (discharge water), and piping the water into the Wissahickon Creek. Once the Reservoir is drained, within the next two months, EPA will cover the berms of the Reservoir with clean fill, and pump clean water back into the Reservoir– restoring and improving it. All removal work on the site is anticipated to be completed during 2015. EPA’s Investigation EPA is studying the site to determine the nature and extent of contamination, health risks, and eventually the potential cleanup options. The work EPA performs during this phase is referred to as the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). The RI Report has been finalized. The FS process, which identifies feasible cleanup alternatives, is underway. During the Remedial Investigation EPA sampled the pile, the reservoir, the park and the three creeks (Rose Valley, Tannery Run, and Wissahickon Creek). EPA collected surface water, sediment, soil, and waste samples from the fall of 2009 to the winter of 2010. A summary of the sampling results are in the Phase I Report. A second sampling program began in the fall of 2010 and concluded in the summer 2011. This work included evaluating groundwater at the site and collecting data on air quality. EPA installed and sampled six groundwater monitoring wells. The groundwater results are in the Preliminary Phase 2 Groundwater Report. A third sampling program began in February 2013. This phase will include three rounds of groundwater sampling from the groundwater monitoring wells, installation and sampling of a background groundwater monitoring well and background soil samples. This investigation should be completed in July 2013. EPA collected air quality data around the community for a year from November 2010 to October 2011. Also, EPA performed activity-based sampling (ABS) in the summer of 2011. Activity-based sampling involves collecting air samples from the breathing zones of samplers engaged in realistic activities like raking or mowing that may disturb asbestos-contaminated sources. Background The BoRit Asbestos Site was used to dispose of asbestos-containing material (ACM) from the early 1900s to the late 1960s that came from a nearby manufacturing plant. The site is divided into three parcels: an asbestos waste pile, a reservoir, and a closed park. The asbestos waste pile, approximately 25-feet high, is on a six-acre piece of land owned by Kane-Core, Inc. The waste pile covers approximately two acres. The Reservoir is owned by the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve. The berm (walls) of the Reservoir is believed to be constructed of asbestos shingles, millboard and soil. Asbestos product waste, such as piping and tiles, was visible surrounding the Reservoir and the stream banks. A closed park, 11 acres, is owned by Whitpain Township. This disposal area was filled and eventually used as a park and playground. In the mid-1980s, the park was closed and fenced due to asbestos contamination. The BoRit site was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List of most hazardous waste sites on April 9, 2009, making it eligible for cleanup, using federal Superfund program funding. The site is on the National Priorities List for cleanup because the nearby residential population could potentially be exposed to airborne asbestos and to asbestos contamination along Tannery Run, Rose Valley Creek and the Wissahickon Creek. Contaminants and Risks Asbestos is the contaminant of concern. Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC. Asbestos Health Effects Information Documents and Reports To search an on-line database of all documents and reports on the BoRit site, go to EPA’s Administrative Record Database. All documents and reports can also be reviewed in person at these locations: U.S. EPA Region III 1650 Arch Street-6th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 814-3157 Call for an appointment. BoRit Command Post 49 Oak Street Whitpain Township, PA 19002 Contacts Remedial Project Manager Jill Lowe 215-814-3123 lowe.jill@epa.gov On-Scene Coordinator Eduardo Rovira 215-814-3436 rovira.eduardo@epa.gov Community Involvement Coordinator Carrie Deitzel 215-814-5525 deitzel.carrie@epa.gov Community Involvement Coordinator Vance Evans 800-553-2509 215-814-5526 evans.vance@epa.gov Governmental Liaison Kinshasa Brown-Perry 215-814-5404 brown-perry.kinshasa@epa.gov
