EPA RCRA ID: PAD002390961
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.
As part of the Environmental inspection and evaluation f were conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and its contractor, URS Corporation (URS). This undertaking consisted of evaluating the Facility's manufacturing operations and waste management practices, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit applications, historical spills and releases, documentation of previous site inspections, RCRA closure activities and correspondence between the EPA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections (PADEP) and the Facility.
On October 2007, PADEP and URS conducted a site visit. The visit consisted of a plant tour and information gathering to assess the current status of the Facility. No obvious areas of concern were identified during the visit. Historically, there appears to be no indications of spills or releases that have negatively impacted soil, groundwater, surface water, or air that would lead to adverse impacts to human health or the environment at this time.
EPA determined that there is no unacceptable human exposure to contamination nor is there any evidence of groundwater contamination caused by the Facility. Furthermore, EPA concludes that there have been no past or current releases that warrant further investigation or corrective action at this Facility at this time. On September 2009, EPA issued a Final Determination that no further action or land use controls are required at the Facility at this time. The Facility continues to operate under the Hazardous Waste Storage Permit (permit number PAD002390961) issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) for the storage and treatment of hazardous wastes.
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 |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
Bethlehem Apparatus Company, Inc. (BAC) is situated on approximately 1.2 acres of land at the western limits of the Borough of Hellertown, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The Facility specializes in cost effective methods for recycling a wide variety of solid and liquid mercury bearing wastes. It is also a global supplier of prime virgin and high purity mercury and a manufacturer of glass-blowing equipment.
In 1948, BAC was founded by Henry and C.W. Nieman. The business initially operated out of the Neiman's homes. In 1950, the Nieman's purchased a parcel of land from the Borough of Hellertown at Front and Depot Streets. By 1951, operations were moved to the new facility. At the new facility, BAC manufactured glass-blowing equipment and distilled mercury. Until 1975, manufacturing of glass-blowing equipment accounted for approximately 80 percent and mercury distillation was approximately 20 percent of the company's business. In the mid-seventies the Facility shifted the majority of their operations towards mercury recovery and distillation, which now accounts for approximately 90 percent of the current business.
Contaminants at this Facility
The primary contaminant of concern was mercury however , EPA concluded that there have been no past or current releases that warrant further investigation or corrective action at this Facility at this time.
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?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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.