EPA RCRA ID: PAD042259374
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 Region 3 has determined that Monitored Natural Attenuation with Institutional Controls is the appropriate Corrective Action for the Facility. A public notice was posted in The Daily Local News newspaper on August 25, 2009 and was followed by a thirty (30)-day comment period that ended on September 24, 2009. The Corrective Action Final Decision and Response to Comments (FDRTC) became effective September 30, 2009. The Institutional Controls (ICs) required in the FDRTC have been established for this Facility in the form of a Uniform Environmental Covenant (UEC) pursuant to, and enforceable against current and future owners, Pennsylvania’s Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, 27 Pa. C.S. § 6501 et seq. (UECA) signed by EPA on May 23 , 2012. The Facility is currently in compliance with all requirements of the UEC confirmed during a site visit by EPA on November 12, 2014.
On May 20, 1999 , EPA determined that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control.
On November 12, 2014 , 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.
Arkema informed EPA that a merger/sale occurred sometime in late 2013 or early 2014 between Arkema Inc. and Sartomer USA, LLC. Therefore, the information presented identifies the current owner as Arkema, Inc. but retains the use of Sartomer (formerly ARCO) as the entity that performed the remediation and enacted the Uniform Environmental Covenant.
Cleanup Background
In 1987 Sartomer (then ARCO) recognized there had been a release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, and heptane to groundwater. In 1988 they began a groundwater pump and treat remediation program. At that time the system consisted on 23 wells and the VOC concentration at the facility boundary was more than 10,000 parts per billion (ppb). The remediation system has been modified and upgraded over time. In 1996, the groundwater testing at the facility boundary showed less than 10 ppb for benzene, less than one part per million (the drinking water limit) for toluene, and heptane could not be detected. Currently, all facility boundary wells are non-detect for the constituents of concern.
Remediation activities are continuing within the facility boundaries. Contamination at the facility is now confined to two distinct areas which are being addressed through DPE. DPE was being performed only in the Area One, Area OneA, Pad A portion of the site until August 2003 when it was expanded to Area Two. The goal was to achieve additional source reduction in this area.
Sartomer submitted a completed Corrective Action Program Work Plan in December, 2001. EPA evaluated the work plan and met with Sartomer in September, 2002. Sartomer conducted an Indoor Air Quality study in the Spring, 2003. EPA evaluated this report and concluded that the constituents are below the respective Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limits (PELs), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended exposure limits (RELs), and The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLVs) and do not present an unacceptable health risk to site workers.
Sartomer shut down the groundwater pump and treat system and their dual-phase extraction (DPE) system to evaluate the effectiveness of natural attenuation processes. The monitoring for natural attenuation began in November 2004 and was performed for a period of two years (eight quarters) with the interim results being included in the annual progress report of the site.
A meeting was held on March 21, 2007 to discuss the results of the natural attenuation evaluation even though the final report was not yet complete. The final Natural Attenuation Evaluation Results report was received electronically on August 28, 2007. The conclusions presented at this meeting and in the final report were that natural attenuation is occurring on the site based on the physical, chemical, and biological parameters measured and containing the plume on-site.
EPA approved the report on November 21, 2007 agreeing with the conclusions that natural attenuation processes are occurring and allowing Sartomer to continue with this as a remedial measure.
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 Arkema, Inc. Facility (formerly Sartomer Company and part of Atofina) is located in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located in an industrial area with a small stream and a high-density residential area to the west. The site consists of 12 contiguous acres of which eight are the industrial portion. The area is served by a public water and sewer system.
The facility began operations in 1967. It is primarily a manufacturer of multi-functional acrylate and methacrylate monomers that are used in the surface coating industry. Wastes generated by the site include various forms of wastewater or sludge containing acrylic or methacrylic acid, sodium hydroxide, and sodium salts. A hydrocarbon waste stream includes benzene (until 1989), toluene, and heptane.
Contaminants at this Facility
In 1987 Sartomer recognized there had been a release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, and heptane to groundwater. Currently, all facility boundary wells are non-detect for the constituents of concern.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional Controls consist of:
- Groundwater under the property shall not be used for drinking water; other domestic uses; agricultural purposes
- Property shall not be used for agricultural, educational, health care, day care, recreational or residential use.
- Soils from the property shall not be moved unless treated as hazardous waste or handled according to the Pennsylvania Management of Fill Policy (25 PA. Code Chs. 271 & 287).
- Monitoring Wells as listed in Section 4 FLP Workplan (August 2001) maintained for monitoring groundwater natural attenuation of benzene and toluene.
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.