EPA RCRA ID: PAD002292068
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The EPA is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
In September 2005, EPA determined that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control.
The Facility was investigated and remediated under both the EPA RCRA Corrective Action program and the PADEP Act 2 program. Due to the Facility’s large size and diversity of operations, it was divided into study areas for the purpose of investigation and remediation. Remediation is complete at several areas of the site. Other areas are completing the investigation/remediation work.
Bristol Landfill - Remediation is complete. The waste material is incased in a hydraulic barrier (slurry wall) and a RCRA-type cap. Construction of the containment system was completed in 1996. Post-remediation monitoring of the groundwater and cap continue.
Ammonium Sulfate Area – An ammonium sulfate groundwater plume is being monitored under a Protectiveness Assessment Plan to evaluate the potential migration of the plume to the Delaware River. If monitoring shows that groundwater migration may contaminate the Delaware River above Surface water Quality Standards, groundwater remediation will be required. The ammonium sulfate contamination poses an exposure hazard to aquatic life, but not to human health.
Former Wastewater Treatment Area – Remediation is complete except for the assessment of the Former Burning Area remediation. The treatment tanks were removed in 1991. The treatment basins were filled and covered with clean soil and vegetation in 2013. The treated water basins (polishing ponds) remain, but environmental investigations show that no additional remediation is needed. The Burning Area was remediation in 2017, by in-situ chemical oxidation of the deep soil zone, to treat contamination that may migrate to the Delaware River. Post-treatment monitoring of the Burning Area continues to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.
North Parcel – Remediation is complete. An area of insecticide contamination, the former Bucks County Mosquito Control Commission area, was excavated and backfilled with clean soil in 2011.
Manufacturing Area – Remediation is complete, except for two localized areas: a former ash pile and an area surrounding Well-93. The former hazardous waste storage tanks and industrial boilers were clean closed in 2004 and 2005, respectively. A release of methyl methacrylate was remediated in 2010 by excavation and disposal of the contaminated soil. A release of butyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate was remediated in 2012-2013 by in-situ chemical oxidation of the contaminated soil. The two remaining areas of contamination will be remediated in 2020 by excavation and disposal of the contaminated soil.
Trailer Staging Area – Investigations are on-going.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, 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 |
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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 Facility has been an active chemical manufacturing plant since 1917. It covers approximately 800 acres along the west bank of the Delaware River, in Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA. The Facility is adjacent to the communities of Croydon and Bristol Borough.
Due to the Facility’s large size and the diversity of operations, it was divided into the following study areas for the purpose of environmental investigations.
Bristol Landfill - The landfill is a 60-acre, pre-RCRA landfill that operated between 1952 and 1975. It was the primary disposal site for plant waste generated during that period of operation. The waste material is incased in a hydraulic barrier (slurry wall) and a RCRA-type cap.
Ammonium Sulfate Area – A dense plume from past land disposal activities in the 1950’s and 1960’s has migrated down through the soil and groundwater to stabilize along the surface of the bedrock. Monitoring continues to evaluate the stability of the ammonium sulfate plume to ensure that contamination does not migrate to the Delaware River at concentrations that would exceed the Surface Water Quality Standards.
Former Wastewater Treatment Area - The area includes the property that was formerly used for treatment of industrial wastewater in tanks and earthen basins (from the 1950’s until 1991), and farming sludge from the treatment plant (in the 1960’s and early 1970’s). It covers approximately 140 acres and is zoned for heavy industrial use. It is bounded by the Delaware River to the south, Hog Run Creek to the west, River Road to the north, and Rohm & Haas Manufacturing Area to the east (across Route 413). Treatment in the units was discontinued in 1991 when a new, completely tank-based, treatment plant came on-line.
North Parcel – The 110-acre parcel is mostly wooded and wetland, undeveloped land located north of River Road. It was never used by Rohm and Haas for manufacturing or any other industrial purpose. However, a small section of the western area, approximately ¼ acre, was used by the former Bucks County Mosquito Control Commission (BCMCC) from the 1950s to early 1970s. Another section of the western area is used by PADEP to site remediation facilities for the Croydon TCE Superfund Site, under an easement granted by Rohm and Haas. The western area is currently owned by the Heritage Conservancy. The central and eastern areas are currently owned by Bristol Township.
Manufacturing Area – The area includes approximately 60 acres involved in the production of a variety of chemicals and intermediates over the years; including plastics, resins, emulsion polymers, and pesticides. This area is bounded by Otter Creek to the north, Schmidt’s Lake and Lake Idaline to the south, Bristol Borough wastewater treatment plant and Trailer Staging Area to the east, and the Wastewater Treatment Area to the west (across Route 413). The remaining remediation at two areas will be completed under the PA Act 2 program.
Trailer Staging Area – This 7-acre parcel was backfilled with construction debris, waste material, and dredge spoils in the 1940’s and 1950’s. There are no records on the specific type or amount of the buried material. The area is bounded by Otter Creek on the north and east, by the Manufacturing Area on the west, and by the Bristol Borough wastewater treatment plant on the south. Investigation of this area is being completed under the PA Act 2 program.
Contaminants at this Facility
The soil and groundwater are contaminated with a variety of organic and inorganic chemicals, frequently localized in area. No contamination poses an exposure concern under existing and proposed future use.
Details of the contamination are provided in the Documents Webpage for this site:
- Environmental Indicators Human Exposure Rohm and Haas Company,
- Environmental Indicator Groundwater for Dow Chemical, and
- Statement of Basis for the particular study area.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Bristol Landfill is controlled by the containment structure and a deed restriction controlling both land and groundwater uses.
Environmental Covenants are in place for the Former Wastewater Treatment Area and the North Parcel. The Former Wastewater Treatment Area covenant controls land and groundwater use in the open space area The North Parcel/Croydon Woods area covenant restricts the uses to open space/passive recreation and prevents groundwater use.
Environmental Covenants are proposed for the Ammonium Sulfate Area and the Manufacturing Area to restrict land and groundwater uses.
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) |
Documents available on-line: |
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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
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.