Havertown Superfund

Havertown Superfund refers to the polluted groundwater site in Havertown, Pennsylvania. While its designation as a Superfund cleanup site did not occur until the early 1990s, the site's environmental hazards had been identified as early as 1973.

History

In 1947, Natural Wood Preservers established a wood treatment plant at the intersection of Eagle rd. and West Hillcrest ave. in Havertown, Pennsylvania. During its operation in the treatment of the wood, hazardous chemicals (including oil, dioxins, and pentachlorophenol) were created as waste products. Natural Wood Preservers disposed of these waste products, untreated, into an on-site well. These chemicals fed directly into Naylor's run creek and eventually into the Delaware river, for which the creek is a tributary.

This disposal of hazardous waste continued for a minimum of several decades during the company's ownership of the site, which ended in 1991. During the company's 44 year ownership, both local and federal government bodies attempted to force Natural Wood Preservers to stop their dumping and clean up the existing pollution.

Governmental Interception

In 1973, State authorities started legal procedures to require Natural Wood Preservers and other surrounding private companies to clean up the wastes that contaminated the area. This litigation ended 7 years later in a ruling that Natural Wood Preservers were required to clean the site.

In 1976, amidst the continuing litigation, the Environmental Protection Agency took emergency action at the site by drilling wells and pumping pentachlorophenol to the surface for treatment. During this time, the owners were uncooperative with the EPA which led to its addition to the National Priorities List for clean up.

In 1987, The EPA installed a fence to restrict access to the site and sponge like barriers to restrict the wastes from entering Naylor's Run creek.

In 1991, Natural Wood Preserves no longer retained ownership of the the site, and the responsibility to clean up the site was given to state and federal agencies.

Clean Up

The EPA estimates that, in 1993 alone, 97,000 tons of liquids, 55 gallons of solids and 60 tons of sludge, all contaminated by hazardous wastes, were removed from the site. The cleaning continued with the removal of dozens of contaminated containers and the demolishion of the wood treatment building.

The cleanup is ongoing, with the major installation of a synthetic cap to isolate much of the contaminated soil in 1996. The most recent advancements occurred in 2006 when the EPA installed additional extraction wells on the site.

References

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