Bally Groundwater Contamination
Pennsylvania3 EPA ID# PAD061105128 Last Update: July 2002
Ballv
0 ~ . 6th Congressional District Other Names: None
Berks County a
Current Site Status
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing the cleanup
of the Bally site, where contaminated groundwater is being extracted
via pumping of the municipal system and treated using an air stripper
which removes the contamination. This treatment will continue until
cleanup standards are met in the aquifer.
Site Description
The Bally Ground Water Contamination site consists of an area of
ground water contamination in and around the Bally Engineered
Structures ("BES") plant in the borough of Bally, Pennsylvania. In
1982, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources
discovered organic solvent contamination in Bally Municipal Well #3;
the well was taken out of service shortly thereafter. Currently, water is
being pumped from the well and treated by an air stripping system to
remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) before it is discharged to
the municipal water supply system and into the West Branch of the
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Perkiomen Creek. The source of the contamination is thought to be
BES - a company that manufactured urethane-insulated panels for
refrigerating, which is located approximately 1,000 feet from the well.
The company and its predecessor used lagoons on the property to
dispose of spent solvent waste from at least 1960 to 1965. By 1966,
the lagoons were backfilled and used for vehicle parking.
Approximately 6,400 people live within a 3-mile radius of the site. The
closest residence is within 1/8-mile of the manufacturing facility. About
5,100 people depend on wells for drinking water.
Site Responsibility
This site is being addressed through Federal, State, and
potentially responsible parties' (PRPs) actions.
NPL Listing History
Our country's most serious, uncontrolled, or abandoned
hazardous waste sites can be cleaned using federal money. To
be eligible for federal cleanup money, a site must be put on the
National Priorities List. This site was proposed to the list on
June 10, 1986 and formally added to the list July 22, 1987.
Threats and Contaminants
The ground water is contaminated with various VOCs, including
tetrachloroethane, trichloroethane (TCE), and dichloroethene.
Potential health risks exist through direct contact with or drinking of
contaminated ground water. Currently, contamination levels in active
public water supply wells do not pose any danger; however, private
well contamination does pose a risk. Surface soil contamination that
could pose a public health hazard has been either covered or is
secured by a fence.
Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available on
the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, an arm of the
CDC, web site at http ://www. atsd r. cd c. g o v/h azd at. htm I QljjHZEZE
Cleanup Progress
Well #1 at the Bally well field has been taken out of service in an
attempt to limit severe contamination to Well #3. An air stripping unit
has been installed to treat the water supply provided by Well #3. The
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public water supply now meets acceptable EPA standards.
In 1987, EPA entered into a Consent Order with Bally Engineered
Structures, Inc. a party potentially responsible for contamination at the
site, to conduct a study on the type and extent of contamination at the
site and alternative technologies for cleanup. This study was
completed in 1989. In March 1991, BES and other PRPs signed a
Consent Decree with the EPA to design the remedy and conduct the
cleanup activities.
The remedy selected includes pumping and treating the ground water
using an air stripper. Design activities began late in 1991. Long-term
site cleanup activities were expected to begin in late 1995, following
the completion of the design for the remedy but were held up due to a
problem with getting access to the necessary private property. The
access problems are now resolved. In September, 1998, the PRPs
installed a pair of monitoring wells to gather information on whether
additional extraction wells are needed in the area South of Route 100.
Based on the regular quarterly monitoring of all of the monitoring
wells, including the two new wells, EPA has determined that
installation of additional extraction wells and air strippers are not
necessary.
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager
Richard Watman
215-814-3219
watman.richard@epa.gov
Community Involvement Coordinator
Carrie Deitzel
215-814-5525
deitzel.carrie@epa.gov
Governmental Liaison
Shawn Garvin
215-814-2998
garvin.shawn@epa.gov
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Detailed public files (Administrative Record) on EPA's actions and
decisions for this site can be examined at the following locations:
Borough Business Office
South Seventh Street
Bally, PA 19503
U.S. EPA Region III
6th Floor Docket Room
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-814-3157
Please call to schedule an appointment.
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