U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia EPA Invites Community to Learn About a Change in the Cleanup Plan for the Dublin TCE Superfund Site DUBLIN TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE) SUPERFUND SITE COMMUNITY UPDATE Dublin Borough, Bucks county, Pennsylvannia May 2015 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making a change to the original cleanup plan for the Dublin TCE Superfund Site. This change is docu- mented in an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD). The ESD explains why the cleanup plan is changing and describes the alternative action(s) EPA plans to take. The public is invited to comment on the ESD and attend a community information ses- sion (see details on back side of this fact sheet). Read the ESD at: www.epa.gov/arweb (Select "PA" - Select -"Dublin TCE Site" - Select - "Remedial 02" from the drop-down boxes) Why is EPA Changing the Cleanup? The groundwater under the Dublin TCE Site is con- taminated with TCE, a chemical solvent traditionally used to clean metal parts. In 1986, several private drinking water wells were found to be contaminated with TCE. By 1996, all homes and businesses that were affected by the contamination were hooked up to the public water supply system. In 2002, EPA selected a cleanup plan that required the responsible party, Sequa Corp., to use a technol- ogy designed to treat the contaminated groundwater by injecting chemical oxidizers directly into the con- taminated groundwater, thereby destroying the TCE in place. For more information about the Dublin TCE Super- fund Site, please visit: www.epa.gov/arweb (Select "PA" - "Select "Dublin TCE Site" What is the New Clean Up Plan? When EPA selected the ISCO technology in 2002, it was formally documented in the Record of Deci- sion (ROD) for the site. The ROD states that if the ISCO remedy fails to achieve performance stand- ards, a contingency to pump and treat the contami- nated groundwater must be implemented. The ESD is the formal process that implements the pump and treat technology. Pump and treat is a common method for cleaning up TCE in groundwater. The contaminated ground- water is pumped from extraction wells to an above- ground treatment system that removes the TCE us- ing activated carbon filtration, air stripping, or oth- er treatment technologies. The pump and treat sys- tem will also help contain the contaminated groundwater plume to keep it from spreading and reaching drinking water wells, wetlands, streams, and other natural resources. Once the TCE is removed, treated groundwater may be injected back underground, pumped into a nearby stream, piped to a sprinkler system to irri- gate soil and plants, or sent to the local water treat- ment plant. Other wastes produced as a result of treatment, such as sludge or used filters, will be disposed of properly. ------- Public comment period Contact Us EPA invites the public to review and comment on the ESD during a 30-day public comment period, from April 27, 2015 to May 26, 2015. Submit comments no later than May 26 to: Larry Brown Community Involvement Coordinator U. S. EPA Region 3 1650 Arch Street (3HS52) Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 Brown.larry@epa.gov Community briefing EPA staff will be available to answer questions dur- ing an informal open house on: May 14, 2015 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Dublin Borough Office 119 Maple Avenue Dublin, PA 18917 Gregory Voigt EPA Remedial Project Manager voigt. gregorv@epa. gov 215-814-5737 Larry Brown EPA Community Involvement Coordinator brown. larrv@epa. gov 215-814-5527 U.S. EPA Region 3 Attn: Larry Brown (3HS52) 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 ------- |