33186 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 17, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

if any, and document recommendations 

to address them. The first FYR was 

conducted in December 2016. 

The FYR was conducted pursuant to 

the Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation and Liability 

Act (CERCLA) section 121, consistent 

with the NCP (40 CFR 300.430(f)(4)(ii)), 

and considering the EPA policy. The 

triggering action for this statutory 

review is the on-site construction start 

date of the remedial action. The FYR 

has been prepared because hazardous 

substances, pollutants or contaminants 

remain at the Site above levels that 

allow for unlimited use and unrestricted 

exposure (UU/UE). 

The Site consists of one operable unit 

(OU1), and OU1 consisted of all 

contaminated media, which includes 

soil and sediment, associated with the 

Site. 

The FYR concluded that the remedy 

at OU1 currently protects human health 

and the environment because there are 

no completed exposure pathways; 

contaminated soil and sediment were 

excavated and capped, and 

Impoundment water was treated and 

discharged. The FYR had no issues or 

recommendations. The next FYR will be 

conducted in 2021. 

Community Involvement 

Throughout the removal and remedial 

process, the EPA has kept the public 

informed of the activities being 

conducted at the Site by way of public 

meetings, progress fact sheets, and the 

announcement through local newspaper 

advertisement on the availability of 

documents related to the site and FYRs. 

The notice of the availability of the 

Administrative Record and an 

announcement of the Proposed Plan for 

a public meeting was published in the 

Hattiesburg American newspaper on 

July 15, 2009. A public comment period 

was held from July 15, 2009, to August 

14, 2009. The Proposed Plan was 

presented to the community during a 

public meeting on August 10 at the 

Breland Community Center, 79 Jackson 

Road, Hattiesburg, MS 39402. At this 

meeting, representatives from the EPA 

and MDEQ answered questions from the 

community concerning the proposed 

remedy and the remedial alternatives 

that were evaluated. The Administrative 

Record file was available to the public 

and was placed in the information 

repository maintained at the EPA 

Region 4 Superfund Record Center and 

at the Oak Grove Public Library (in the 

Reference Section) 4958 Old Highway 

11, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39402. 

Public participation activities have 

been satisfied as required in CERCLA 

section 113(k), 42 U.S.C. 9613(k) and 

CERCLA section 117, 42 U.S.C. 9617. 

Documents in the deletion docket, 

which the EPA relied on for 

recommendation of the deletion from 

the NPL, are available to the public in 

the information repositories identified 

above. 

Determination That the Site Meets the 

Criteria for Deletion in the NCP 

The EPA has followed the procedures 

required by 40 CFR 300.425(e) as 

mentioned above and the implemented 

remedy achieves the degree of cleanup 

specified in the ROD for all pathways of 

exposure. Specifically, post-excavation 

soil sampling performed by OTIE 

confirmed that soil and sediment 

cleanup levels were achieved. These 

results verify that the Site has achieved 

the ROD cleanup standards, and that all 

cleanup actions specified in the ROD 

have been implemented. All selected 

remedial and removal action objectives 

and associated cleanup levels are 

consistent with agency policy and 

guidance. This Site meets all the site 

completion requirements as specified in 

Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 

Response (OSWER) Directive 9320.22, 

Close-Out Procedures for National 

Priorities List Sites. No further 

Superfund response is needed to protect 

human health and the environment. 

The EPA, with concurrence of the 

State through MDEQ, has determined 

that all appropriate response actions 

under CERCLA have been completed. 

Therefore, the EPA is proposing to 

delete the Site from the NPL. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Chemicals, Hazardous 

substances, Hazardous waste, 

Intergovernmental relations, Penalties, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Superfund, Water 

pollution control, Water supply. 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1321(d); 42 U.S.C. 

9601–9657; E.O. 13626, 77 FR 56749, 3 CFR, 

2013 Comp., p. 306; E.O. 12777, 56 FR 54757, 

3 CFR, 1991 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 

FR 2923, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193. 

Dated: July 3, 2018. 

Onis ‘‘Trey’’ Glenn, III, 

Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15243 Filed 7–16–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 300 

[EPA–HQ–SFUND–1989–0011; FRL–9980– 

58—Region 3] 

National Oil and Hazardous 

Substances Pollution Contingency 

Plan; National Priorities List: Deletion 

of the Recticon/Allied Steel Superfund 

Site 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Region III is issuing a 

Notice of Intent to Delete the Recticon/ 

Allied Steel Superfund Site (Site) 

located in East Coventry Township, 

Chester County, Pennsylvania, from the 

National Priorities List (NPL) and 

requests public comments on this 

proposed action. The NPL, promulgated 

pursuant to section 105 of the 

Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation, and Liability 

Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is 

an appendix of the National Oil and 

Hazardous Substances Pollution 

Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and 

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the 

Commonwealth), through the 

Pennsylvania Department of 

Environmental Protection (PADEP), 

have determined that all appropriate 

response actions under CERCLA have 

been completed. However, this deletion 

does not preclude future actions under 

Superfund. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

August 16, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID no. EPA–HQ– 

SFUND–1989–0011, by one of the 

following methods: 

• http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. Once submitted, comments 

cannot be edited or removed from 

Regulations.gov. The EPA may publish 

any comment received to its public 

docket. Do not submit electronically any 

information you consider to be 

Confidential Business Information (CBI) 

or other information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Multimedia 

submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 

accompanied by a written comment. 

The written comment is considered the 

official comment and should include 

discussion of all points you wish to 

make. The EPA will generally not 

consider comments or comment 

contents located outside of the primary 

submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or 

other file sharing system). For 


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additional submission methods, the full 

EPA public comment policy, 

information about CBI or multimedia 

submissions, and general guidance on 

making effective comments, please visit 

http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/ 

commenting-epa-dockets. 

• Email: hass.andrew@epa.gov 

• Mail: USEPA Region III, 1650 Arch 

Street, Mail Code: 3HS21; Philadelphia, 

PA. 19103. 

• Hand delivery: USEPA Region III, 

1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 

19103. Such deliveries are only 

accepted during the Docket’s normal 

hours of operation, and special 

arrangements should be made for 

deliveries of boxed information. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID no. EPA–HQ–SFUND–1989– 

0011 EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided, unless 

the comment includes information 

claimed to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Do not submit information that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise 

protected through http://

www.regulations.gov or email. The 

http://www.regulations.gov website is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means EPA will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an email comment directly 

to EPA without going through http://

www.regulations.gov, your email 

address will be automatically captured 

and included as part of the comment 

that is placed in the public docket and 

made available on the internet. If you 

submit an electronic comment, EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment and with any 

disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, EPA may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters, any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. 

Docket: All documents in the docket 

are listed in the http://

www.regulations.gov index. Although 

listed in the index, some information is 

not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statue. Certain other 

material, such as copyrighted material, 

will be publicly available only in the 

hard copy. Publicly available docket 

materials are available either 

electronically in http://

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at: 

USEPA Region III Administrative 

Records Room, 1650 Arch Street—6th 

Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103–2029, 

215–814–3157, Business Hours: 

Monday through Friday, 8:00am– 

4:30pm; by appointment only Local 

Repository 

East Coventry Township Municipal 

Building, 855 Ellis Woods Road, 

Pottstown, PA 19464, 610–495–5443, 

Call for Business Hours 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Andrew Hass, Remedial Project 

Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, Region 3, 3HS21 1650 Arch 

Street Philadelphia, PA 19103, (215) 

814–2049, email: hass.andrew@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Introduction 

II. NPL Deletion Criteria 

III. Deletion Procedures 

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion 

I. Introduction 

EPA Region III announces its intent to 

delete the Recticon/Allied Steel 

Superfund Site from the National 

Priorities List (NPL) and requests public 

comment on this proposed action. The 

NPL constitutes Appendix B of 40 CFR 

part 300 which is the National Oil and 

Hazardous Substances Pollution 

Contingency Plan (NCP), which EPA 

promulgated pursuant to section 105 of 

the Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation and Liability 

Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. 

EPA maintains the NPL as the list of 

sites that appear to present a significant 

risk to public health, welfare, or the 

environment. Sites on the NPL may be 

the subject of remedial actions financed 

by the Hazardous Substance Superfund 

(Fund). As described in 40 CFR 

300.425(e)(3) of the NCP, sites deleted 

from the NPL remain eligible for Fundfinanced remedial actions if future 

conditions warrant such actions. 

EPA will accept comments on the 

proposal to delete this Site for thirty 

(30) days after publication of this 

document in the Federal Register. 

Section II of this document explains 

the criteria for deleting sites from the 

NPL. Section III discusses procedures 

that EPA is using for this action. Section 

IV discusses the Recticon/Allied Steel 

Superfund Site and demonstrates how it 

meets the deletion criteria. 

II. NPL Deletion Criteria 

The NCP establishes the criteria that 

EPA uses to delete sites from the NPL. 

In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e), 

sites may be deleted from the NPL 

where no further response is 

appropriate. In making such a 

determination pursuant to 40 CFR 

300.425(e), EPA will consider, in 

consultation with the Commonwealth, 

whether any of the following criteria 

have been met: 

i. responsible parties or other persons 

have implemented all appropriate 

response actions required; 

ii. all appropriate Fund-financed 

response under CERCLA has been 

implemented, and no further response 

action by responsible parties is 

appropriate; or 

iii. the remedial investigation has 

shown that the release poses no 

significant threat to public health or the 

environment and, therefore, the taking 

of remedial measures is not appropriate. 

Pursuant to CERCLA section 121(c) 

and the NCP, EPA conducts Five-Year 

Reviews to ensure the continued 

protectiveness of remedial actions 

where hazardous substances, pollutants, 

or contaminants remain at a site above 

levels that allow for unlimited use and 

unrestricted exposure. Five-Year 

Reviews are no longer required at this 

Site; however, EPA may initiate further 

action to ensure continued 

protectiveness at a deleted site if new 

information becomes available that 

indicates it is appropriate. Whenever 

there is a significant release from a site 

deleted from the NPL, the deleted site 

may be restored to the NPL without 

application of the hazard ranking 

system. 

III. Deletion Procedures 

The following procedures apply to 

deletion of the Site: 

(1) EPA consulted with the 

Commonwealth before developing this 

Notice of Intent to Delete. 

(2) EPA has provided the 

Commonwealth 30 working days for 

review of this notice prior to publication 

of it today 

(3) In accordance with the criteria 

discussed above, EPA has determined 

that no further response is appropriate; 

(4) The Commonwealth of 

Pennsylvania, through the Pennsylvania 

Department of Environmental Protection 

(PADEP), has concurred with deletion of 

the Site from the NPL. 

(5) Concurrently with the publication 

of this Notice of Intent to Delete in the 

Federal Register, a notice is being 

published in a major local newspaper, 

the Pottstown Mercury. The newspaper 

notice announces the 30-day public 

comment period concerning the Notice 

of Intent to Delete the Site from the 

NPL. 


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(6) The EPA placed copies of 

documents supporting the proposed 

deletion in the deletion docket and 

made these items available for public 

inspection and copying at the Site 

information repositories identified 

above. 

If comments are received within the 

30-day public comment period on this 

document, EPA will evaluate and 

respond appropriately to the comments 

before making a final decision to delete. 

If necessary, EPA will prepare a 

Responsiveness Summary to address 

any significant public comments 

received. After the public comment 

period, if EPA determines it is still 

appropriate to delete the Site, the 

Regional Administrator will publish a 

final Notice of Deletion in the Federal 

Register. Public notices, public 

submissions and copies of the 

Responsiveness Summary, if prepared, 

will be made available to interested 

parties and in the site information 

repositories listed above. 

Deletion of a site from the NPL does 

not itself create, alter, or revoke any 

individual’s rights or obligations. 

Deletion of a site from the NPL does not 

in any way alter EPA’s right to take 

enforcement actions, as appropriate. 

The NPL is designed primarily for 

informational purposes and to assist 

EPA management. Section 300.425(e)(3) 

of the NCP states that the deletion of a 

site from the NPL does not preclude 

eligibility for future response actions, 

should future conditions warrant such 

actions. 

IV. Basis for Site Deletion 

The following information provides 

EPA’s rationale for deleting the Site 

from the NPL: 

Site Background and History 

EPA proposed the Recticon/Allied 

Steel Superfund Site (Site) (CERCLIS ID 

PAD002353969) to the NPL on June 24, 

1988 (53 FR 23988) and added the Site 

as final on the NPL on October 4, 1989 

(54 FR 41000). The Site is located at the 

intersection of State Route 724 and 

Wells Road in East Coventry Township, 

PA and is approximately 8 miles 

northwest of Phoenixville, PA and 3.2 

miles southeast of Pottstown, PA. The 5- 

acre Recticon/Allied Steel Site consists 

of two properties, the former Allied 

Steel Products Corporation facility and 

the former Recticon facility. 

From 1972–1988, Allied Steel 

Products Corporation (Allied) began 

fabrication of various steel products on 

a property located on the eastern corner 

of the intersection. Recticon was a 

subsidiary of Rockwell International 

and manufactured silicon wafers for the 

electronics industry from 1974 to 1981 

on the western corner of the 

intersection. In 1979, the Pennsylvania 

Department of Environmental Resources 

(PADER), now known as the 

Pennsylvania Department of 

Environmental Protection (PADEP), 

detected trichloroethylene (TCE) in the 

groundwater beneath the Site. In 1980, 

a contractor determined that leakage in 

the area of Allied’s compressor room 

had released TCE onto the ground. High 

levels of TCE were found in Allied’s onsite well. In addition, sediment samples 

taken from the drainage ditch alongside 

the Allied building yielded high levels 

of copper and zinc, well above 

ecological risk levels. 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 

and Recticon entered into a Consent 

Order in 1981 to undertake initial 

cleanup actions at the Site. Recticon, 

under PADER oversight, removed 

contaminated soils from the Site and 

transported them to an EPA-approved 

facility for disposal. Recticon also 

pumped and treated some of the 

groundwater beneath the Site for a few 

months. Under PADER oversight, Allied 

Steel also excavated contaminated soil 

and shipped it off-site for proper 

disposal. In 1990, EPA entered into two 

Consent Orders with Rockwell 

International, the former parent 

company of Recticon, to provide 

residential well filters to nearby 

residents and to conduct the Remedial 

Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). 

Remedial Investigation and Feasibility 

Study (RI/FS) 

The RI/FS was conducted from 

January 1991 through May 1993 and 

determined that soil, sediment, and 

groundwater were impacted by volatile 

organic compounds (VOCs) and metals 

from the historic operation of the Allied 

and Recticon facilities. 

Selected Remedy 

The Selected Remedy for the Site was 

documented in a June 30, 1993 Record 

of Decision (ROD) and modified in an 

August 29, 1997 ROD Amendment; a 

September 10, 2004 Explanation of 

Significant Differences (ESD); and a May 

26, 2010 ESD. The following sections 

discuss the components of the Selected 

Remedy and details on implementation. 

1993 Record of Decision 

The Remedial Action Objectives 

(RAOs) for the Site as established in the 

1993 ROD were as follows: 

1. Prevent human exposure to 

contaminants in the groundwater. 

2. Restore contaminated groundwater 

to its beneficial use and to background 

concentrations, if technically 

practicable, or Maximum Contaminant 

Levels (MCLs), whichever is more 

stringent. 

3. Protect uncontaminated 

groundwater and surface water for 

current and future use, and 

environmental receptors. 

After the 1993 ROD was finalized, 

EPA divided the Site remedial work into 

three operable units (OUs) to facilitate 

management of the remedial process. 

• Operable Unit 1 (OU1)—Water Line 

• Operable Unit 2 (OU2)—Soil 

• Operable Unit 3 (OU3)—Groundwater 

OU1—Water Line 

The Selected Remedy for OU1 in the 

1993 ROD consisted of the installation 

of a public water supply to East 

Coventry Township to 14 residences 

and businesses. 

OU2—Soil 

The Selected Remedy for OU2 in the 

1993 ROD consisted of the excavation 

and off-site disposal of contaminated 

soils. The soil cleanup levels in the 

1993 ROD were based on the amount of 

contamination that could remain in the 

soil without further contributing to 

groundwater contamination above 

‘‘background’’ concentrations. 

The 1997 ROD Amendment changed 

the cleanup levels for Site contaminants 

of concern (COCs) in groundwater from 

‘‘background’’ concentrations to MCLs. 

This change was based on the 

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s 

enactment of the Land Recycling and 

Environmental Remediation Standards 

Act (Act 2) on May 19, 1995, 35 Pa. Stat. 

§ 6026.101 et seq., which established 

MCLs as the protective groundwater 

cleanup levels. As a result of the change 

in groundwater cleanup levels to MCLs, 

a new soil cleanup level was calculated 

for the proposed soil excavation 

response at the Site. Site-specific 

modeling was used to determine the 

maximum concentration of TCE that 

could be in the soil and not cause 

leaching into the groundwater above the 

MCL. The modeling resulted in a 

cleanup level of 1,600 mg/kg of TCE in 

soil. It was determined that additional 

soil excavation was no longer necessary 

because the concentrations of 

contaminants in the soil after the initial 

response action were below this cleanup 

level. 

The 1997 ROD Amendment also 

required that institutional controls be 

implemented to prohibit soil excavation 

on the Recticon property that could 

result in exposure to contaminated soil 

via direct contact and to prohibit any 

new wells on Site until the groundwater 

cleanup levels are met. 


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The 2004 ESD eliminated the 

requirement for institutional controls to 

prohibit direct contact with the soil on 

the Recticon property. The ESD 

identified PADEP Act 2 Media Specific 

Concentrations (MSCs) for TCE for 

direct contact with soils as the cleanup 

level that would need to be exceeded for 

new institutional controls to be 

necessary. No TCE was detected in soil 

at the Site exceeding the PADEP Act 2 

MSC for direct contact. 

The ESD also eliminated the 

requirement to prohibit the construction 

of new groundwater wells at the Site. 

OU3—Groundwater 

The Selected Remedy for OU3 

initially consisted of extraction and 

treatment of groundwater with 

discharge to the Schuylkill River 

following a pre-design hydrogeologic 

investigation and well abandonment. In 

accordance with the 1993 ROD, a 

comprehensive pre-design study of the 

groundwater at the Site was conducted 

to further define the outer boundaries of 

the groundwater plume and the 

hydraulic properties within the aquifer. 

Based on the findings of this study, a 

groundwater recovery system for 

contaminated groundwater was 

designed. The groundwater recovery 

system consisted of extraction, shallow 

tray air stripping and granular activated 

carbon treatment to remove the VOCs, 

and discharge of treated water to the 

Schuylkill River. 

The 2010 ESD changed the 

groundwater extraction and treatment 

remedy to enhanced natural 

bioremediation of TCE. A successful 

pilot test, which reduced the levels of 

TCE in the Site wells, had been 

conducted using this technology. The 

2010 ESD also re-instituted the 

requirement for institutional controls for 

groundwater use on both the Recticon 

and Allied properties, since all wells on 

these properties were not below the 

cleanup levels. 

Response Actions 

The Remedial Design and Remedial 

Action (RD/RA) were performed by 

Rockwell under Unilateral 

Administrative Order (UAO) No. III–94– 

16–DC issued on March 24, 1994. In 

accordance with the 1993 ROD, a Phase 

1 Archeological Survey was performed 

in April 1995 prior to the start of onsite 

construction activity and determined 

that the Site had no historical 

significance. In 1999, Rockwell spun off 

its semiconductor business as an 

independent company called Conexant 

Systems, Inc. Conexant assumed 

responsibility for performing the RD/RA 

as required by the UAO. 

OU1—Water Line 

Construction of the water line was 

completed between September 1998 

through November 1999 and consisted 

of extending a water main to the Site 

area and connecting 14 residences and 

businesses. Once the municipal water 

lines were connected, filtration systems 

previously used at the properties were 

no longer necessary. EPA performed the 

final inspection of the water line and 

connections on December 13, 1999. 

OU2—Soil 

In accordance with the 1993 ROD, 

verification sampling was conducted on 

the soil at the former Allied facility to 

determine the source and extent of 

copper and zinc contamination. An 

ecological assessment indicated that the 

copper and zinc levels exceeded the 

Region III Biological Technical 

Assistance Group (BTAG) screening 

values, and that any terrestrial or 

aquatic receptors on or near the Site 

would be exposed to unacceptable 

levels of these contaminants. As a 

result, EPA conducted a time-critical 

removal at the Site in April 1998. Six 

inches of contaminated soil were 

excavated and removed from a small 

portion of the Site known as the ‘‘crane 

area’’ and shipped off-site for proper 

disposal. The area was backfilled with 

clean soil and grass was planted. 

The 1993 ROD also required the 

excavation of TCE contaminated soils 

on the former Recticon facility. This 

requirement was modified by the 1997 

ROD Amendment, which changed the 

soil cleanup level. As a result of this 

change, no further soil excavation was 

required and institutional controls were 

instead required to prohibit soil 

excavation. The 2004 ESD subsequently 

eliminated the requirement for 

institutional controls for soil. 

OU3—Groundwater 

Construction of the groundwater 

portion of the remedy started in June 

1998 and consisted of the installation of 

approximately 10 additional monitoring 

wells, an extraction well and the 

construction of a groundwater 

extraction and treatment system. EPA 

conducted a pre-final inspection of OU3 

on April 19, 1999 and determined that 

Rockwell and its contractors had 

constructed the remedy in accordance 

with remedial design plans and 

specifications. A Preliminary Closeout 

Report (PCOR) was issued on December 

14, 1999, documenting Construction 

Completion for the Site. 

A Pilot Study was initiated in 2001 to 

evaluate the effectiveness of using 

enhanced bioremediation to treat 

groundwater contamination more 

effectively than groundwater extraction 

and treatment. The study consisted of 

injecting non-toxic food-grade 

amendments and other approved 

supplements into the groundwater to 

enhance the natural biodegradation 

occurring at the Site. A total of 13 

injections were completed during the 

Pilot Study from June 2001 through 

February 2007 utilizing several different 

amendments. The Pilot Study 

effectively reduced VOC contamination 

in the groundwater close to groundwater 

cleanup levels. The 2010 ESD replaced 

groundwater extraction and treatment 

with enhanced bioremediation based on 

the results of the Pilot Study. 

Cleanup Levels 

Table 1 describes the soil and 

groundwater cleanup levels established 

in the 1997 ROD Amendment: 

TABLE 1 

COC Medium Standard 

TCE ........................................................................................... Soil ............................................................................................ 1,600 μg/kg 

TCE ........................................................................................... Groundwater ............................................................................. 5 μg/L 

Vinyl Chloride ............................................................................ Groundwater ............................................................................. 2 μg/L 

1,1 dichloroethene ..................................................................... Groundwater ............................................................................. 7 μg/L 

1,2 dichloroethane ..................................................................... Groundwater ............................................................................. 5 μg/L 

1,2 dichloroethene ..................................................................... Groundwater ............................................................................. 70 μg/L 

Tetrachloroethene ..................................................................... Groundwater ............................................................................. 5 μg/L 


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No soil was identified with TCE 

concentrations exceeding 1,600 mg/kg; 

therefore, no soil excavation was 

performed. Soil contaminated with zinc 

and copper at the Allied facility was 

excavated and disposed offsite under a 

time-critical removal action by EPA in 

1998. 

Groundwater COC concentrations at 

all sampling locations were below the 

groundwater cleanup levels during the 

2011 annual sampling event. In 

accordance with the 1993 ROD, twelve 

(12) quarters of groundwater sampling 

were performed between October 2011 

and September 2014 to confirm that the 

cleanup levels have been achieved. 

Vinyl chloride was detected in one well 

during this sampling at a concentration 

exceeding the cleanup level of 2 mg/L 

and TCE was detected in one well at a 

concentration exceeding the cleanup 

level of 5 mg/L. For these two wells, 

statistical tools specified in EPA 

program guidance were used to evaluate 

attainment for vinyl chloride and TCE. 

These data were statistically analyzed 

and the cleanup level exceedances were 

determined not to be statistically 

significant. No other samples identified 

any COC above the groundwater 

cleanup levels throughout the twelve 

quarters of sampling. 

Additionally, EPA performed a 

cumulative risk assessment using the 

2014 groundwater sampling results. 

Groundwater COC concentrations were 

compared to EPA Tap Water Risk 

Screening Level (RSLs) and if the RSL 

was exceeded during any of the 2014 

sampling events, a risk assessment was 

performed. The data were grouped in 

Exposure Areas (EAs) based on 

groundwater sampling locations. The 

cumulative risk results were below or 

within EPA’s acceptable risk range for 

each of the EAs. 

Based on the results of the twelve 

quarters of groundwater monitoring and 

the results of the cumulative risk 

assessment, the groundwater cleanup 

levels have been achieved at the Site. 

EPA subsequently issued a Final 

Close Out Report (FCOR) for the Site 

dated December 17, 2017. The FCOR 

summarized the remedial activities 

conducted at the Site, and concluded 

that EPA has successfully completed all 

response actions for the Site in 

accordance with Close Out Procedures 

for National Priorities List Sites 

(OSWER Directive 9320.2–09A–P). 

Operation and Maintenance 

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) 

activities for the Site were focused on 

the groundwater portion of the remedy 

(OU3). The initial groundwater remedy 

involved extraction and treatment of 

contaminated groundwater at the Site 

from 1998 through 2002. The water was 

treated using a shallow tray air stripper 

and GAC and the treated water was 

discharged to the Schuylkill River. The 

discharge was in continuous 

compliance with the substantive 

requirements of the National Pollutant 

Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). 

The system treated approximately 200 

million gallons of contaminated 

groundwater prior to being shut down 

in December 2002. 

The 2010 ESD replaced the 

groundwater extraction and treatment 

component of the Selected Remedy with 

enhanced bioremediation. Groundwater 

monitoring confirmed that groundwater 

cleanup levels have been achieved at 

the Site and no ongoing or future O&M 

or additional groundwater monitoring is 

necessary. 

Institutional Controls 

The 1993 ROD required an 

institutional control to restrict access to 

those portions of the aquifer where 

contaminants remain above 

performance standards. Institutional 

controls were also included in the 1997 

ROD Amendment to prohibit soil 

excavation on the Recticon property and 

installation of new wells on the 

Recticon property until groundwater 

cleanup levels were met. 

The 2004 ESD stated that institutional 

controls were no longer required for soil 

and that the groundwater was making 

progress toward achieving cleanup 

levels, therefore, institutional controls 

prohibiting new wells were no longer 

required. However, in the 2010 ESD, 

EPA determined that institutional 

controls for groundwater were still 

required since the groundwater cleanup 

levels had not yet been achieved. 

Therefore, the installation of new 

groundwater wells on the two properties 

comprising the Site needed to be 

prohibited until the groundwater at the 

Site meets the cleanup levels selected in 

the 1997 ROD Amendment. This 

institutional control has been 

implemented by deed notices which 

have been placed on the titles for the 

two Site properties pursuant to a 2002 

Prospective Purchaser Agreement with 

the current owner of the Allied portion 

of the Site, and a 2005 Consent Decree 

with Wellsford, Inc., the current owner 

of the Recticon portion of the Site. 

The Chester County Health 

Departments Rules and Regulations, 

§ 501.12.5.1, currently provide an 

additional layer of use restriction for the 

Site groundwater by prohibiting the 

installation or use of drinking water 

supply wells in the vicinity of the Site 

unless the wells are tested for 

contamination and treated if 

contamination is identified. The 

relevant provisions of the regulations 

are provided below: 

501.12.5.1 A permit shall be denied and/ 

or approval to use the water supply shall be 

withheld in those areas of the County where 

the Chester County Health Department has 

been notified by State or Federal agencies or 

other sources that the area is unsuitable for 

the installation of on-site water wells due to 

known groundwater contamination unless 

the following conditions are met: 

501.12.5.1.1 The water well must be 

tested prior to use and on a yearly basis for 

all known and suspected contaminants in the 

area. 

501.12.5.1.2 When the water quality 

analysis shows that the contaminant level 

exceeds the maximum contaminant levels 

allowed by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the 

water must be treated by the appropriate 

treatment unit before approval can be 

granted. 

As discussed in detail above, 

groundwater cleanup levels have been 

achieved at the Site. Therefore, in 

accordance with the 2010 ESD, 

institutional controls prohibiting the 

installation of new wells at the Site are 

no longer required. 

Five-Year Review 

Pursuant to CERCLA section 121(c) 

and as provided in the current guidance 

on Five-Year Reviews Comprehensive 

Five-Year Review Guidance, OSWER 

Directive 9355.7–03B–P, June 2001, EPA 

must conduct a statutory Five-Year 

Review if hazardous substances remain 

on-site above levels that would not 

allow for unlimited use and unrestricted 

exposure. The Five-Year Reviews for the 

Site were signed on the following dates: 

1. First Five-Year Review—May 14, 2005 

2. Second Five-Year Review—June 23, 2010 

3. Third Five-Year Review—May 11, 2015 

No issues or recommendations were 

identified in the 2015 Third Five-Year 

Review. The Protectiveness Statement 

in the 2015 Third Five-Year Review was 

as follows: 

‘‘The Site is protective of human 

health and the environment. The RAOs 

established for the Site have been 

accomplished.’’ 

There are no hazardous substances or 

materials left on-site above levels that 

would not allow for unlimited use and 

unrestricted exposure; therefore, 

additional Five-Year Reviews are not 

required in the future. 

Community Involvement 

EPA community relations staff 

conducted an active campaign to ensure 

that the residents were well informed 

about activities at the Site. Community 

relations activities included the 

following: 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
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• Interviews of East Coventry 

Township officials for Five-Year 

Reviews 

• Annual Meetings with Chester 

County Board of Health 

In accordance with the requirements 

of 40 CFR 300.425(e)(4), EPA’s 

community involvement activities 

associated with this deletion will 

consist of placing the deletion docket in 

the local Site information repository and 

placing a public notice of EPA’s intent 

to delete the Site from the NPL in the 

Pottstown Mercury, a major, local 

newspaper of general circulation. 

Determination That the Site Meets the 

Criteria for Deletion in the NCP 

Construction of the Selected Remedy 

at the Site has been completed and O&M 

was completed in accordance with the 

EPA-approved O&M Plan. Institutional 

controls are no longer necessary at the 

Site. All RAOs, performance standards, 

and cleanup levels established in the 

1993 ROD, 1997 ROD Amendment, 2004 

ESD, and 2010 ESD have been achieved 

and the Selected Remedy is protective 

of human health and the environment in 

the short- and long-term. No further 

Superfund response is necessary to 

protect human health and the 

environment. 

The Site Deletion procedures 

specified in 40 CFR 300.425(e) have 

been followed for the deletion of the 

Site. EPA, with concurrence of the 

Commonwealth through PADEP, has 

determined that all appropriate 

response actions under CERCLA, have 

been completed. Therefore, EPA is 

deleting the Site from the NPL. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Chemicals, Hazardous 

waste, Hazardous substances, 

Intergovernmental relations, Penalties, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Superfund, Water 

pollution control, Water supply. 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1321(d); 42 U.S.C. 

9601–9657; E.O. 13626, 77 FR 56749, 3 CFR, 

2013 Comp., p. 306; E.O. 12777, 56 FR 54757, 

3 CFR, 1991 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 

FR 2923, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193. 

Dated: June 19, 2018. 

Cosmo Servidio, 

Regional Administrator, EPA Region III. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15244 Filed 7–16–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS