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Valmont TCE Site Finalized on Superfund Hazardous Site List

Release Date: 9/13/2001
Contact Information: David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548 & Bill Hudson, (215) 814-3212

David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548 & Bill Hudson, (215) 814-3212

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today finalized the addition of the Valmont TCE site near Hazleton, Pa. on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites.

Elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic region, EPA also finalized the addition of the Watson Johnson Landfill near Quakertown, Pa., and proposed to add the Franklin Slag Pile site in Philadelphia, Pa. and the Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard near Baltimore, Md. Nationwide, EPA is adding 17 sites to the NPL and proposing to add another 11 sites.

The NPL is a national list of sites where contaminants have impacted or could impact public health or the environment. NPL sites undergo a thorough investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination. EPA or the parties responsible for the contamination then take appropriate actions to address whatever risks the sites pose.

The Valmont TCE Site is located in Hazle Township and the Borough of West Hazleton, in Luzerne County. The site consists of the former Chromatex Plant #2, located on Jaycee Drive near Deer Run Road, and contaminated groundwater in the nearby residential neighborhood on Deer Run Road, Bent Pine Trail/Road, Twin Oaks Road, and possibly Fawn Drive. Ground water contamination at the site was discovered in October 1987 when sampling of residential drinking water wells revealed the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 23 residential wells and in the Chromatex facility well. TCE and VOCs are chemicals found in solvents and degreasers. Chromatex operated at Plant #2 from July 1978 until April 2001, and used TCE from 1978 to 1988 to apply stain repellent to upholstery fabric.

After the contamination was discovered in 1987, EPA immediately provided bottled water and carbon filters to affected residences. EPA then oversaw the installation of public water supply lines into the neighborhood, thereby permanently eliminating the risk of drinking contaminated well water. While the immediate threat was addressed in 1987, the site needs to be cleaned up to eliminate any long-term or future potential risk to the public or the environment.

EPA had proposed to add Valmont TCE site to the NPL on June 14. A 60-day public comment period ended on August 13. Comments were received from a number of local residents and elected officials. All were in support of listing, although many also asked questions which EPA will seek to answer in the coming months. Because no comments were received in opposition to listing, EPA was able to finalize the site on the NPL more quickly than originally anticipated.

Now that the Valmont TCE site is finalized on the NPL, EPA will complete a comprehensive environmental investigation to determine how to clean up the site. For more information about EPA’s plans, please contact Bill Hudson, Community Involvement Coordinator, at (215) 814-5532, or Romuald Roman, remedial project manager, at (215) 814-3212. Documents related to the site investigation and clean-up will continue to be placed at the Hazleton Area Public Library, located at 55 N. Church St. in Hazleton, as they become available.