EPA RCRA ID: MDD046279311
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
GE submitted a Corrective Measures Study (CMS) Report in August 2008 that reported on an evaluation of technologies to cleanup site contamination. EPA approved the CMS in 2010 and accepted previously implemented Interim Measures, including enhancements, as the remedy for the site. Based on the CMS results and the Administrative Record, the final remedy for the Facility was developed and was described in a Final Decision and Response to Comments. The 2012 Permit is EPA’s enforcement mechanism implementing the final remedy.
The final remedy for the Facility consists of active remediation consisting of Pump and Treatment and Soil Vapor Extraction, long term groundwater monitoring of CMS Units Two, Four, Seven, and RFI Unit Six, and Institutional Controls (ICs). Under EPA’s remedy some concentrations of contaminants remain in the groundwater and/or soil above levels appropriate for residential and domestic uses. While the Permit prevents the use of groundwater and contaminated soil, ICs are non-engineered mechanisms such as administrative and/or legal controls that minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination and/or protect the integrity of a remedy and provide an additional level of environmental protection. ICs will be implemented in order to restrict use of the Facility property and groundwater to prevent exposure to contaminants while the contaminants remain in place. GE will continue to submit semi-annual Reports to EPA and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) documenting the progress of the remedy.
On July 31,2018, the EPA conducted a Long Term Stewardship assessment to assess whether the remedy was implemented and protective of human health and the environment. EPA determined that the remedy institutional and engineering controls have been fully implemented and no control deficiencies were identified.
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 former Appliance Park East manufacturing facility was constructed in 1969 and 1970 on 1,125 acres of land purchased by GE from Howard Research and Development (HRD). From 1970 to 1990 GE manufactured household appliances, primarily electric ranges and ovens. GE's operations at the Facility consisted of the fabrication, finishing and final assembly of metal components. Fabrication involved metal cutting, pressing and welding. Finishing involved metal cleaning, electroplating, and the application of paint finishes. Of the 1,125 acres owned by GE, 440 acres were covered by the RCRA Corrective Action Permit issued by EPA in 1991.
GE discontinued operations in 1990 and sold the majority of the facility to Howard Research and Development Corporation (HRD) for redevelopment. GE retained ownership of 21 acres where three closed landfills are located. Redevelopment of the site includes, reuse of the original manufacturing buildings by new businesses, construction of a new retail strip mall, restaurants, a multiplex movie theater, residential town homes, and a corporate office park.
To update the community on the cleanup progress, GE maintains a mailing list for all interested parties and issues fact sheets as needed. The last public meeting regarding the site was held in 1997 and comments were solicited regarding the on-going corrective action activities.
The main contaminant in soil and groundwater is the organic solvent, trichloroethylene that is mainly found in the soil beneath the former manufacturing building and in the ground water beneath and down gradient of the building. Other contaminants found in ground water include diesel fuel and gasoline. GE cleaned up the gasoline in the 1990's and continues to monitor ground water in the area. GE cleaned up the diesel fuel contamination under the direction of the Maryland Department of the Environment Oil Control Program.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional controls l restrict land use to non-residential and prohibit the use of groundwater as a source of potable water.
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?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
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.