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. The anlaytical results of the contents of the tank cars indicates that the materials are hazardous due to elevated concentrations of chlorinated organic compounds (e.g., 1,2 dichloroethane)and benzene.
The analytical results of samples collected from the tank cars indicate that the contents of 4 of the cars are RCRA hazardous. A fifth car contains non-hazardous liquid, and a sixth car contains ammonia.
During the week of July 30th, the Respondent to the Order (Tank Car Corporation of America) initiated removal of the liquids from the 3 buried tankcars (UST 1 through 3)and the 2 tank cars on the tracks (AST 1 and 2). A total of 13330 gallons were removed from the USTs and a total of 27920 gallons were removed from the ASTs
The disposal was originally scheduled for July 23rd, but had to be postponed due to delayes in receiving approval from the EPA R3 Off-Site Rule Contact. All pumpable liquids were removed from the tanks by August 3, 2007.
EPA is overseeing the removal of the wastes from the Site.
Solid materials remain in the tanks. The Respondent is proposing to solidify this material before it is removed. This work is scheduled for later in the month of August 2007.
solidify solid residuals in the tanks and remove these materials from the Site.
|
