EPA RCRA ID: DED001315647
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the public law that creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Corrective action is a requirement under RCRA that facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes, or did so in the past, investigate and clean up hazardous releases into soil, groundwater, surface water and air. For more information, and for more information on RCRA-specific terms used on this page, please visit EPA’s umbrella RCRA web page or EPA’s RCRA Corrective Action page.
On this page:
- Cleanup Activities
- Facility Description
- Institutional/Engineering Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information and Publicly Available Electronic Records
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Activities
Hercules conducted a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) of the SWMUs and AOCs and reported the results in July 2001. A Phase II RFI workplan was approved by EPA and DNREC thereafter, and the Phase II RFI Report was submitted to DNREC in 2007. DNREC commented on the Phase II Report in 2008, Hercules responded in 2009, and submitted a revised Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) in January 2011. DNREC completed the review of the Risk Assessment upon the condition of Hercules giving further clarification of specific sections of the HHRA. Hercules submitted a response to DNREC for the HHRA Comment Letter in September 2012. The HHRA was approved by DNREC on January 11, 2013. Hercules has begun work on a site wide Corrective Measures Study (CMS). The CMS will provide remediation options for all remaining SWMUs and AOCs.
SWMU Closures/Status:
SWMU 9A was a former drum storage area. This regulated unit is located within a larger area, designated as SWMU 15. SWMU 9A was closed under DNREC’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch (SHWMB) and in January 1999, DNREC issued the Closure Certification letter for SWMU 9A. Groundwater sampling is conducted semi-annually as part of Post Closure Care Monitoring. Sampling showed that the area was impacted by past releases from experimental pesticide formulation in a nearby building. Soil samples in SWMUs 9A/15 showed pesticide, metals, and volatile organic compounds, including chlorobenzene. Hercules excavated contaminated soil "hot spots" and capped the area with a low permeability asphalt cover. Groundwater samples indicated that soil contaminants did not impact the groundwater.
SWMU 8 and 9C was a dump and drum storage area, located adjacent to the Red Clay Creek. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), pesticides, and metals were found in soil and some sediment on the SWMU. Hercules submitted a Corrective Measures Study to EPA in 1997. EPA required additional sediment sampling to evaluate if Red Clay Creek had been impacted by this SWMU. Creek sediment sampling was completed in October 2000. In March 2001, the Red Clay Creek Sediment Sampling and Analysis Report was submitted to EPA. DDT and DDD (two types of pesticides) hotspots were detected downstream of Hercules. In September 2001, EPA conducted limited confirmation sampling in the Creek. The results indicated that contaminants in Red Clay Creek may have come from upstream sources, and could not be definitively linked to the Hercules site. In 2008, further soil sampling was conducted at SWMU 8/9C to delineate the extent of excavation needed within the Wilmington and Western Railroad right-of-way. DNREC selected a remedy for SWMU 8/9C and the construction of a low permeability cap began in August 2010 and was completed in 2011. An Environmental Covenant will also be implemented to protect the cap. The Covenant for SWMU 8/9c is currently under review by Hercules.
SWMU 6 was a RCRA regulated, greater-than-90-day container storage pad used for hazardous waste storage. The Pad included a small container shed with three separate diked areas for storage of corrosive, toxic, and reactive wastes. In 2005, Hercules clean closed (under prior DNREC approval) the container storage area. On May 31, 2006, DNREC issued a RCRA Closure Certification.
SWMU 16 is a former Agricultural Chemical Lab (ACL) research and development center. Soil samples collected from the SWMU showed that only toxaphene (a pesticide) and a few metals exceeded DNREC Standards for Unrestricted Use. Hercules removed an underground storage tank and demolished the buildings and structures at the ACL. Hercules collected additional soil samples to delineate the extent of contamination. Any contamination found within this SWMU will be addressed as part of the site wide CMS.
In 2005, Hercules presented a Plan to relocate all operations currently in the Red Clay Creek floodplain to areas above the floodplain. Hercules completed the relocations.
In September 2003, EPA concurred that current human exposure to contamination found in environmental media on-site is under control. In August 2007, the Environmental Indicator for Migration of Contaminated Groundwater under Control (available on the EPA website) was signed, which means that contaminated groundwater is confined to discrete areas on-site. Groundwater at the Facility is not used for drinking water purposes.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
The Hercules Research Center is located about five miles west of Wilmington, Delaware. The facility occupies approximately 45 acres, primarily consisting of laboratory buildings used for research and development chemistry studies for Hercules' worldwide chemical operations. The facility is surrounded to the north, west and south by residences or proposed residences. To the east are the Red Clay Creek and a small railroad operated by the Wilmington and Western Railroad.
In November 2008, Hercules Incorporated was acquired by Ashland Water Technologies.
The main contaminants in the soil, groundwater, sediments and surface water are PCBs, pesticides, chlorinated solvents and metals.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional controls were not required at the site.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
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Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | |||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information and Publicly Available Electronic Records
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.