Contaminated Creek Part of Superfund Site

The Neshaminy Creek tributary that was flows through a Mid-Atlantic Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site.

The creek runs next to at 837 W. Third Street, Lansdale. The site was formerly Swartley Bros. Engineering until purchased by AKM Industries LP in July 2011, according to county records.

Across the street, at 834 W. Third Street, is the former one-acre site of Keystone Hydraulics, owned by Giampa Construction Co. Inc. since 2003, according to county records.

According to county records, the lot is “environmentally unsafe” and considered a Superfund site.

The property is part of the North Penn Area 6 Superfund site, according to the EPA.

The EPA determined groundwater was contaminated with Trichloroethene (TCE) and perchloroethene (PCE), the chemical components of solvents and greasers.

“Twenty-six facilities in the Lansdale area were originally identified as possible sources of contamination due to their use of site-related solvents,” states the EPA Superfund document.

Groundwater contamination exists at levels as high as 68,000 parts per billion at the worst locations, and decreases with distance from the site, according to the EPA.

An unnamed tributary to the Towamencin Creek is about a mile from the site.

As of June 2011, the U.S. EPA has completed construction of five groundwater extraction and treatment systems at separate properties in the North Penn Area 6 site.

The former Keystone Hydraulics groundwater treatment system was constructed and has been operating for about six years, according to the EPA.

A groundwater treatment system was also completed and has been operating for six years at Royal Cleaners at 1315 N. Broad St.

Since 2008, treatment systems have been constructed and operating at Westside Industries at Fifth Street and Mitchell Avenue and the former Electra Products at 200 W. Fifth Street, according to the EPA.

The final groundwater treatment system was completed in May 2011 at the former Rogers Mechanical Company at 135 E. Hancock Street, which is the future development site for Andale Green townhomes by Moulton Builders.

Furthermore, the EPA has reached an agreement to perform work related to groundwater contamination at the John Evans property at Maple and Spring; the Parker Hannifin Corp. at 422 W. Sixth St.; the J.W. Rex Heat Treat property at Eighth Street and Valley Forge Road and Tyco International at 451 N. Cannon Ave.

According to the EPA, the properties are part of the groundwater Operable Unit 3 cleanup area.

According to the EPA, a study and remedy selection in Operable Unit 3 was completed in August 2000. Remedy design, remedy construction and post-construction are underway in the cleanup area.

Groundwater has been contaminated at the former Keystone Hydraulics site, according to the EPA.

The cleanup plan in this region requires individual water supply wells affected by contamination above drinking water standards be provided with connections to the public water supply.

The nearest homes to the Superfund site on West Third Street is about 200 feet away near the intersection with Valley Forge Road.

EPA documents state that groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds in on-site wells, off-site wells and private wells.

The EPA has recorded completion of removal of contaminated soil from Keystone Hydraulics under what is known as Operable Unit 1.

“These properties were identified as having soil contamination on their properties which contributed to the area-wide groundwater contamination,” according to EPA documents.

As of EPA records, Operable Unit 1 cleanup study and remedy selection was completed in September 1995. Remedy design was completed in June 1999 and remedy construction was completed in September 2004.

Parker Hannifin and J.W. Rex companies are conducting studies to determine if soil cleanup is necessary, according to the EPA. A study and remedy selection is underway at present.

According to the EPA, the North Penn Area 6 Superfund site was added to the National Priorities List on March 31, 1989.