X-/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(2201)
EPA 520-F-95-009
Summer 1995
Superfund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Henderson Road
Site Profile
Site Description: Closed landfill
Site Size: 7.6 acres
Primary Contaminants: Volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and
heavy metals
Potential Range of Health Effects
Prior to Site Cleanup: Central
nervous system disorders and
increased risk of cancer
Nearby Population: 5,000 people
within 1 mile
Ecological Concerns: Frog Run, a
local stream
Year Listed on NPL: 1984
EPA Region: 3
State: Pennsylvania
Congressional District: 13
The ground water treatment plant under construction in July, 1991y 3
Reg
Success in Brief
Innovative Technologies Enhance
Ground Water Restoration
When an interstate highway and two railroads box in a hazard-
ous waste site, access can be a major challenge. Removing debris
from those properties without disrupting the flow of transporta-
tion takes careful planning and creative solutions. With help from
local transit authorities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) balanced a hazardous waste cleanup with regional demands
for safe auto and rail traffic.
More than a decade of improper landfill management character-
ized the Henderson Road site in Montgomery County, Pennsylva-
nia. Underground injection of industrial wastes had contaminated
area ground water and threatened the local reservoir. Using
Superfund authority, EPA applied a combination of innovative
technologies to treat ground water and construct a permanent
landfill cover.
Effective enforcement resulted in timely settlements for site
investigations and cleanup. Settling parties completed construc-
tion activities in 1992 and have
submitted long-term operation and
maintenance plans. Environmental
protection specialists from the
Pennsylvania Department of Envi-
ronmental Protection (PADEP) will
assist in supervising these efforts.
The Site Today
A protective cap over the land-
fill seals contaminants and pre-
vents precipitation from percolat-
ing through the wastes. A ground
water treatment plant remains
operational and will require moni-
toring for 30 years.
Environmental Protection Agency
ion 5, Library (PL-12J)
Jackson Boulevard, 12th Floor
Chicago, JL 60604-3590
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Superfund At Work Henderson Road Site, Upper Merion, PA Summer 1995
The 7.6-acre Henderson
Road site is in Upper Merion
Township along a section of
the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The Southeastern Pennsylva-
nia Transit Authority
(SEPTA) and Conrail train
tracks border two other sides
of the property. In the early
1970s, Ellis Concrete Com-
pany dumped cinders and
construction debris haphaz-
ardly throughout the prop-
erty. O'Hara Sanitation
Company, Inc. bought the
site in 1974 and began oper-
ating a garage and waste
transfer facility. In addition
to highly toxic commercial
wastes and demolition debris
accepted during a 10-year
period, some illicit dumping
A Site Snapshot
occurred. Approximately heavy metals. Polycyclic
21,000 cubic yards of trash and aromatic hydrocarbons
cinders were dumped on the
surrounding railroad and
highway properties.
In the late 1970s, O'Hara
Sanitation allegedly allowed
the disposal of indus-
trial wastes
into an on-site
water supply
well. That
underground
injection con-
taminated the
ground water
with volatile or-
ganic compounds (VOCs)
including benzene, toluene,
vinyl chloride, and trichloroet-
hylene, numerous other or-
ganic compounds, and some
(PAHs) and VOCs saturated
the soil in varying concentra-
tions. These chemicals can
cause central nervous system
disorders and increase the risk
of cancer. Ap-
proximately
5,000 people
live within a
one-mile
radius and a
school is lo-
cated 3,000 feet
south of the site.
The Upper
Merion Reservoir, just 2,000
feet from the site, contributes
to a drinking water system
that services 800,000 people.
Henderson
Road Site
Upper Merion, PA
Henderson
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Superfund At Work Henderson Road Site, Upper Merion, PA Summer 1995
Undeipmind Injection Threatened IMnking Water
Supply
In 1977, an anonymous
phone caller alerted PADEP
that ABM Disposal Service was
transporting and dumping
industrial waste into a well on
the Henderson Road property.
PADEP and EPA took prelimi-
nary samples and found pollut-
ants in the well and surround-
ing soil. The improper
landfilling operations at the site
were exacerbated by this illegal
underground injection, but no
one could be sure of the extent
of ground water contamination.
Site Added to NPL
Three years later, Congress
enacted the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability
Act of 1980. The law estab-
lished the Superfund program
to address abandoned and
uncontrolled hazardous waste
sites throughout the nation.
While the landfill was still open,
PADEP and EPA conducted a
preliminary assessment and in
1984, added the site to the
National Priorities List (NPL),
EPA's roster of sites requiring
comprehensive cleanup.
Waste Contributors Participate
in Cleanup
EPA identified nine compa-
nies who consented to complete
a thorough investigation of the
site's contamination in Novem-
ber, 1985. This group proposed
cleanup alternatives based on
study results in 1988. Following
a period of public comment,
EPA selected a ground water
strategy that included the use of
bioremediation. This method
involves the use of microorgan-
isms that break down and
neutralize contaminants into
harmless byproducts.
In September 1989, EPA
selected a remedy to address
contamination from the landfill.
A new type of solid waste cap
would be used which included
a 1/4 inch-thick bentonite
geocomposite layer. Bentonite
is a natural substance that is
nonporous and doesn't crack in
* fi ^tedte MKJfi remedy
GrpurK} wgfer treaftnent plant cornplttt
ConstnKtiQtvfii1§nc»I eovsc fcegtos /
,%protective cover compete^
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Superfund At Work Henderson Road Site, Upper Menon, PA Summer 1995
cold weather. The bentonite
geocomposite is thinner and
lighter than standard clay
layers, yet reduces the perme-
ability of the protective cover.
The plan also required treat-
ment of contaminated soil and
installation of additional con-
trols to prevent contaminant
migration.
Following negotiations in
August 1990, the settling
parties agreed to perform the
cleanup operations, including
vapor extraction for the injec-
tion well. Construction of a
ground water treatment plant
began in February 1991 under
EPA supervision and was
completed that September.
Bioremediation treatment
began in March, 1992. That
summer, crews completed the
landfill cover and installed a
leachate collection and treat-
ment system.
Because of the proximity of
the Pennsylvania Turnpike and
railroad properties, EPA con-
sulted with local transit authori-
ties during construction activi-
ties to prevent transportation
disruptions. In addition, crews
constructed a concrete and PVC
liner around a public waterline
that ran through the site to
safeguard against ruptures
during cleanup operations.
Road
Gonstaiction of at sfate-of-the artpi^teetive cap over "Ae jbnifitt is Coittf>|feife>'ite- '
eluding leadiate collectta and tr^topfefti systems. The ground wafer reaieAy ir ' ;. '
relying on an innovative technology, MoiemediatiQn, to teeak down certasnJpa^ts;.
monitoring will continue for 30 year?; Cooperation by the Pennsylvania E^jajftnent
of Transportation, C0nrai and SEPTA railroad operators, PADEP, and ft6 local water
uilty enhanced IPA's abilty to efectively a
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