United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
From:
Michael Towle

To:
RRC RRC, EPA
Donald Berger, Springfield Township
Joanna Mcdonald, EPA
Jennie Saxe, EPA

Subject: 

Tank Car Corporation of America
int. of Walnut Avenue and Oreland Mills Rd, Oreland, PA
Latitude: 40.1200000
Longitude: -75.1919000


POLREP No.:
3
Site #:
A3GX
Reporting Period:
D.O. #:
Start Date:
1/29/2007
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
4/30/2007
Response Type:
Time-Critical
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
Removal Action
CERCLIS ID #:
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
 

Site Description

The Tank Car Corporation of America Site was the location of a railroad tank car manufacturing and rehabilitation facility operating in Oreland, PA, for most of the 20th century.  The facility is located at the intersection of Walnut Ave. and Oreland Mills Rd. along the railroad tracks.  The facility includes several buildings, a paint shop, and several sidings on which tank cars are still located.

The OSC began evaluating this property in April 2006 by coordinating with entities seeking to sell and/or purchase the property.  The OSC receieved environmental data which indicated that several tank cars and underground tanks (believed to be railroad tank cars) contain hazardous substances. Additionally, the soil and the ground water contain hazardous substances.  Notable contaminants include chlorinated organics (e.g., trichloroethene), napthalene compounds, and ammonia.  

The property continued to be involved with negotiations for potential sale, but no definitive resolution of the waste storage and threats was ultimately resolved. In January 2007, the OSC sought approval for funding for a time-critical removal action and the Region issued a Unilateral Administrative Order for the characterization and removal of the contents of the tanks.

A Response Action Plan was subsequently approved and the Respondent (Tank Car Corporation of America) initiated field sampling activities in April 2007.  EPA is now waiting for data characterizing the hazardous substances and wastes within the tanks.  


Current Activities

Pursuant to the approved Response Action Plan, Respondent has conducted sampling activities intended to characterize the contents of the tanks for disposal.


Planned Removal Actions

Conduct disposal of contents of the tanks.


Next Steps

Await analytical data and complete characterization of materials


Key Issues

the property owner still contends that the property is in the midst of a potential sale.


Estimated Costs *
  Budgeted Total To Date Remaining % Remaining
Extramural Costs
Intramural Costs
 
Total Site Costs $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 0.00%

* The above accounting of expenditures is an estimate based on figures known to the OSC at the time this report was written. The OSC does not necessarily receive specific figures on final payments made to any contractor(s). Other financial data which the OSC must rely upon may not be entirely up-to-date. The cost accounting provided in this report does not necessarily represent an exact monetary figure which the government may include in any claim for cost recovery.


response.epa.gov/TCCA

POLREP #3 Last Updated 5/16/2007