EPA RCRA ID: VAD003123833
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
The Facility was a larger property originally owned by Sperry Corporation. The Facility is now a smaller property consisting of 3 parcels, one owned by Northrop-Grumman, another by Costco and the third is a retail parcel (Parcel G). Unisys Corporation retains the environmental liability for contamination released when Sperry Corporation owned the property. In January 2008, Unisys Corporation (Unisys) entered into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Lead Agreement (FLA) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region 3. Unisys agreed to conduct environmental investigations and if necessary, perform Interim Measures (IM) to remediate contamination. Unisys submitted a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) Work Plan to EPA to address data gaps from previous site environmental investigations and remedies conducted under VA Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) direction. Field activities commenced in August 2008, and included monitoring well installation, groundwater and soil sampling and potential contaminant source area investigations.
Unisys submitted Site Characterization Reports to VDEQ from 1996 to 1998. The data and risk assessment submitted to VDEQ indicated that environmental conditions at the Facility did not present unacceptable risks to human health or the environment provided that restrictions were placed on future use of the properties. VDEQ issued Certificates of Satisfactory Completion of Remediation to Unisys in 2000 and 2002.
Unisys continued to monitor groundwater (GW) to provide more information on the nature and extent of dissolved phase Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs) in GW beneath the manufacturing property and surrounding parcels. VDEQ gave notice in February 2008 that the post-certification monitoring requirements were satisfied with Unisys’ entry into EPA’s FLA.
In May 2011, Unisys submitted an Interim Measure workplan to EPA to delineate and remove soil with tetrachloroethylene (PCE) at levels above acceptable risk levels. The soil with contamination was located on an adjoining parcel formerly part of the Facility (now owned by Costco). Unisys delineated, excavated and disposed of contaminated soil off-site at a permitted landfill. As part of the parcel’s redevelopment by Costco, more soil with PCE contamination was found. To eliminate any risk of volatile vapors from soil entering into the planned Costco building, the building was constructed with a vapor mitigation system.
The final phase of Facility remedial activities for the remaining parcels (Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and parcel G) will address residual tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) contamination in groundwater and soil. EPA issued the Final Remedy decision (FDRTC) for the two parcels in July 2019.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, 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.
The Facility is located at 1070 Seminole Trail in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia near the intersection of Seminole Trail (U.S. Highway 29) and Hydraulic Road (State Route 743). In 1955, the property consisted of 81-acres purchased by Sperry Corporation (Sperry). Sperry merged with the Burroughs Corporation in 1986 to form Unisys Corporation (Unisys). Within a year of the merger, Unisys sold the Facility. Since late 1956, a portion of the property has been used for manufacturing navigational instruments and systems under various owners and operators. The Facility consists of the 19-acre manufacturing parcel, currently owned and operated by Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, and approximately 62-acres surrounding the manufacturing parcel which were sold to developers.
Manufacturing processes have included machining, degreasing, soldering, and painting. Gasoline for trucks and oils for generators and recycling were stored in aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) located on the northeast side of the Facility. Several petroleum underground storage tanks (USTs) used for storing heating oil and diesel fuel were located on the southwest side of the Facility. The ASTs and USTs were removed under VDEQ oversight. Three storage tanks remain: a 6,000-gallon UST, a 500-gallon AST for a generator and a 500-gallon AST for oil recycling. A paint pit in the northern portion of the facility was used for waste disposal in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s and was remediated and closed under VDEQ oversight.
Contaminants at this Facility
The contaminants of concern found in soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment were tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene and other VOCs. Currently, groundwater is the primary location of VOCs exceeding EPA and VDEQ clean-up levels.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
VDEQ required deed restrictions on the Facility parcels which prohibit groundwater use (except for environmental monitoring and testing). Additional deed restrictions were placed on the current manufacturing parcel and 23-acres to the north and northeast, prohibiting residential use. In August 2008, VDEQ released the residential use prohibition on 1.86-acres of the 23-acres.
The Costco parcel environmental covenant was recorded into Albemarle County, VA land records on September 25, 2018. The covenant restricts land and groundwater use among other requirements. The covenant is available under ‘the Additional Site Information’ box on this Fact Sheet
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) |
Documents available on-line: |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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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
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.