Bensalem Redevelopment
(Formerly: Elf Atochem North America
- Cornwells Heights Plant)
Bensalem, Pennsylvania
The Road to Reuse
~~~
This 25-acre facility is located in
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where
a shipbuilding company began
manufacturing activities in 1917. The
U.S. Government owned and operated
the facility in the 1940s, refining
aluminum and producing sulfuric acid,
hydrogen fluoride and cryolite. The
facility was used from the 1950s to
the 1990s for manufacturing blend
chemicals for cleaning and lubricating
agents for various industries, as well as
repackaging refrigerants. All industrial
and manufacturing activities ceased in
1997. The equipment was removed
from the property and the buildings
were decommissioned.
The decades of industrial activity
left contaminants in the soil and
groundwater. The soil contained
concentrations of PAHs, PCBs,
pesticides and arsenic that exceed
safety levels set forth by both the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the Pennsylvania
Approximate total acres
and current use
Approximate Acres Planned for
Reuse: 15
Planned Reuse: Mixed-use,
residential and commercial space,
greenspace.
Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP). The
groundwater at this site contains
elevated levels of chlorinated organic
chemicals and metals. Remediation
activities, which occurred between
September 2006 and September 2007,
required the removal of contaminated
soil and the demolition all on-site
buildings. Forty-three thousand tons
of soil were removed to address the
presence of contamination at fifteen
(15) areas of concern, including two
new areas discovered during the
cleanup operations. An additional
250,000 tons of concrete from the
demolished buildings were removed
and reused as fill at multiple locations
on site. EPA and PADEP approved
of the Final Remediation Report in
September 2008. A Final Decision
was issued by EPA on September 12,
2008, which calls for the continued
monitoring of groundwater and soil
SB*
gas beneath the Facility along with the
implementation of institutional controls
as specified in Environmental Covenant
pursuant to the Pennsylvania Uniform
Environmental Covenants Act. The
Environmental Covenant includes the
installation of a vapor barrier beneath
all new on-site structures to prevent
the migration of organic vapors from
groundwater into indoor air space and
Facility-wide restriction of groundwater
usage for any purpose.
The present owner of the property is
Waterside Bensalem Development, Inc.
(WBDI). WBDI was able to remediate
this facility with financial assistance
from EPA and the Bucks Count
Redevelopment Authority. The
ultimate goal is to redevelop this facility
as a mixed-use area with residential
and commercial space, as well as
greenspace.

M,
www.epa.aov/rea3wcmd/correctiveaction.htm
For More Information
EPA Region 3 Contact: Andrew Clibanoff,
(215) 814-3391 clibanoff.anderw@epa.gov

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