EPA - Delaware Business Times

Commercial Real Estate, Environment, Government, News

EPA proposes ending 2 Delaware Superfund sites

Jacob Owens April 6, 2022

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it is proposing removing two Delaware sites from its list of the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites, known as Superfund National […]

0 Comment 1101 Views

Tidewater infrastructure project recognized for excellence and innovation

Mike Rocheleau December 17, 2020

DOVER – Tidewater Utilities a provider of regulated water services, has earned recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AQUARIUS program for commendable execution of a project that finances the construction […]

0 Comment 635 Views

Environment, News, Transportation

Sen. Carper opposes EPA plan to lower fuel economy standards

Alex Vuocolo April 4, 2018

U.S. Senator Tom Carper this week released a statement speaking out against the EPA’s plan to lower fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said […]

0 Comment 644 Views

Environment, Manufacturing & Distribution, News

North Carolina requiring new steps to reduce GenX emissions

Alex Vuocolo February 13, 2018

(AP) — North Carolina environmental regulators have ordered a chemical company to take further steps to reduce emissions of chemicals that have questionable health effects. The state Department of Environmental […]

0 Comment 688 Views

Environment, News

Delaware officials seek public input on EPA plan repeal

Alex Vuocolo January 8, 2018

DOVER (AP) — State officials want to hear from Delawareans on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to repeal a plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. The Department of […]

0 Comment 494 Views

Premier Digital Partners

© 2023 Delaware Business Times

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it is proposing removing two Delaware sites from its list of the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites, known as Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). [caption id="attachment_221957" align="alignright" width="300"]

An abandoned office building is one of the few remaining vestiges of the former Chem-Solv in Cheswold. | PHOTO COURTESY OF EPA[/caption] The sites, including the Chem-Solv Inc. site in Cheswold and a portion of the Tybouts Corner Landfill in New Castle, were among 10 sites nationwide that the EPA has proposed removing from the NPL. The EPA deletes sites or parts of sites from the list when no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment. Years, and sometimes decades, of complex investigation and cleanup work have gone into getting these sites to the point where they can be deleted from the NPL. “Deletions from the NPL can revitalize communities, raise property values, and promote economic growth by signaling to potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup is complete,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz said in a statement. “This can be especially impactful for communities with environmental justice concerns.” Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This investment will enable the EPA to clear a backlog of the 49 contaminated sites that had been awaiting funding to start remedial action. Located on a 1.5-acre property in Cheswold, Chem-Solv was a small solvent distillation facility founded in 1982. The facility recycled waste solvents, but a 1984 explosion and fire at the site destroyed the building. After the fire, authorities evaluated the Columbia aquifer beneath the site and found high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily trichloroethene, a heavy colorless highly toxic liquid used as a solvent to clean electronic components and for dry cleaning. Groundwater recovery and treatment was conducted from 1997 to 2017, when sampling showed concentrations had dropped below cleanup levels and remediation was discontinued. [caption id="attachment_221956" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Surface water drainage along western edge of the Tybouts Corner Landfill in New Castle. | PHOTO COURTESY OF EPA[/caption] The Tybouts Corner Landfill site is about 10 miles south of Wilmington and 4 miles west of the Delaware River. The site was used by the New Castle County Department of Public Works as a municipal sanitary landfill, which accepted industrial wastes from December 1968 until July 1971. The landfill consisted of two non-adjoined sections, a West Landfill that was about 4 acres in size and the Main Landfill that was about 47 acres, with waste ranging from 5 to 40-feet thick. Contamination was found in two nearby wells in 1976 and again in 1983. The site has since been capped, excavated, contained and monitored by the EPA and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. They’ve determined that two parcels of the site are suitable for removal from the NPL, but the remainder of the main landfill will remain listed for now as all performance standards have not yet been achieved. Public comment on the removal of both sites is open through May 2, and the EPA plans to publish another notice with additional final and proposed deletions this fall.