EPA RCRA ID: MDD003075942
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the public law that creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Corrective action is a requirement under RCRA that facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes, or did so in the past, investigate and clean up hazardous releases into soil, groundwater, surface water and air. For more information, and for more information on RCRA-specific terms used on this page, please visit EPA’s umbrella RCRA web page or EPA’s RCRA Corrective Action page.
On this page:
- Cleanup Activities
- Facility Description
- Institutional/Engineering Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information and Publicly Available Electronic Records
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Activities
In 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Permit to Cytec to address any contamination present at the facility. Between 1991 and 2002 Cytec conducted several investigations to delineate groundwater and soil contamination.
Onsite soil and onsite and offsite groundwater were found to be contaminated with volatile organic contaminants (VOCs). To address the most immediate concerns and to prevent further spread of the groundwater contaminant plume, Cytec implemented an interim clean-up measure to contain and treat contaminated groundwater at the facility. The groundwater extraction system was started on April 29, 2002 and continues to operate. Highlights of the extraction system are described below.
- Groundwater is extracted from monitoring well 10D (MW-10D). This well is located near the eastern perimeter of the facility. Based on investigations at the site, this well appears to be located in a preferential pathway for groundwater flow.
- Two one-inch pipes (one active and one backup) transport extracted groundwater to the Havre de Grace Wastewater Treatment Plan. Both pipes are contained in a two-inch pipe to provide secondary containment. The water is initially pumped to a pretreatment tank containing food wastes from a local processor. The active biological systems in the pretreatment tank help to breakdown contaminants in the water prior to flowing to the rest of the treatment plant.
- The extraction system is equipped with safety features and the instrumentation is remotely accessible for monitoring system operation and for reporting purposes. In the event of a problem, there is an automated system shutoff and voice notification to ensure prompt attention.
- The system is designed to pump groundwater at a rate of 7.5 gallons per minute, with an approximate sphere of influence of 800 to 1000 feet. Pumping of MW-10D results in hydraulic control of local groundwater in the area of MW-10D and prevents some contamination from flowing off-site. In the original source area, the concentrations of VOCs in groundwater have decreased considerably.
- Cytec has coordinated with Havre de Grace City Officials to obtain all the necessary permits and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
Cytec regularly samples groundwater wells installed on and offsite to assess the effectiveness of the extraction system. The results of the monitoring program are reported to EPA and MDE for review annually.
A Public Notice was published on September 19, 2012 announcing the proposed decision (Statement of Basis) for environmental remediation at Cytec Industries Inc., Harve De Grace (Cytec), (MDD003075942) has been made. The proposed remedy consists of operation, maintenance and monitoring of the groundwater extraction system and groundwater monitoring system, and institutional controls to restrict activities at the facility. EPA is also issuing a draft permit for implementing the remedy and for ongoing maintenance and monitoring.
The Permit and Final Decision and Response to Comments became effective December 5, 2012.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
Located in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Cytec Engineered Materials currently produces specialty bonding adhesives and composite materials for a variety of industrial applications. The facility is located within 0.75 miles of the Chesapeake Bay and the area surrounding the facility can be characterized as light industrial and residential.
The contaminants in the groundwater, identified by past investigations, are organic solvents, most likely the result of a former leaking underground product storage tanks. 1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) is the primary contaminant of concern.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
An environmental covenant was signed by Cytec, EPA and MDE on April 9, 2014. The Covenant included Institutional Controls containing the following land and groundwater use restrictions:
- Groundwater at the Facility shall not be used for any purpose other than industrial usage and to conduct the operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities required by EPA unless it is demonstrated to EPA that, (1) such use will not pose a threat to human health or the environment or adversely affect or interfere with the selected final remedy and (2) EPA provides prior written approval for such use;
- No new wells shall be installed on Facility property unless EPA provides prior written approval to install such wells;
- The Facility property shall not be used for residential purposes unless it is demonstrated to EPA that such use will not pose a threat to human health or the environment or adversely affect or interfere with the selected remedy, and EPA provides prior written approval for such use.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | |||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information and Publicly Available Electronic Records
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.