EPA RCRA ID: PAD009722265
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.
EPA/state is reviewing existing environmental information to determine if further investigation is required. EPA/State will focus first on the health and groundwater impacts, if any, presented by the facility. Once EPA/state completes this review process, an environmental indicator determination will be prepared and posted to this website.
On May 15, 2019,EPA determined that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control.
Cleanup History
Contaminated soil and groundwater at Lot One of the facility was investigated and remedial activities were conducted in the early 1990s; approximately 4,300 tons of contaminated soil were removed and groundwater monitoring was conducted. The final round of monitoring in 1993 detected petroleum solvent constituents.
Lot Two was investigated during 2003 and 2004 as part of the due diligence activities prior to the divestiture of Lot Two. Soil in Lot Two was the primary focus of the investigation; although groundwater and sediment samples were also collected at selected locations. Ten wells were sampled on Lot Two. None of the 22 groundwater samples, collected during the Phase II investigation, were reported to have contained any constituent exceeding their Used Aquifer Residential MSCs. Based on the western groundwater flow direction and Phase II analytical groundwater data, it appears that contaminated groundwater on Lot One has not migrated onto Lot Two. In April 2008, PADEP reviewed and approved the Final Report for Lot Two in accordance with Act Two. Lot Two continues to be wooded and it is reported to be visited by trespassers for recreational motorcycling.
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.
The Betz Laboratories, Inc. (Betz) facility is located in Trevose, within the municipality of Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is currently known as GE Water and Process Technologies (GEWT), which primarily conducts research and development activities in support of the production of water and process chemicals. The total facility complex area is 96 acres.
Currently, the facility operates a research and development center on the portion of the property (Lot One). A wooded area to the north (Lot Two), adjoining the Poquessing Creek was sold to a developer in the early 2000s. The two lots are similar in area, occupying approximately 46 acres each.
This facility previously had a production plant, electrical substation, water tower, tank farm, a skimmer building, a hazardous waste storage building. Parking lots separated the facilities from corporate headquarters, administration, and research and development offices along Somerton Road. The production plant, tank farm and skimmer building were removed during the plant decommissioning activities from 1989 to 1991. During a March 10, 2009 site visit, a fitness building and a training building were present at the general location of the production plant, tank farm and skimmer building in the southwestern corner of Lot One. These buildings were physically separated from the pilot plant building, research and development laboratory, and administrative offices. The water tower continued to be present. The facility was surrounded by a chain-link fence around its perimeter with a security entrance. Reading Railroad traversed the eastern boundary of Lot One in a generally northeast-to-southwest direction.
Contaminants at this Facility
The site is a large quantity hazardous waste generator including volatile organic compounds and universal hazardous wastes.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Then need for Institutional Controls is yet to be determined.
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: |
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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.