EPA RCRA ID: PAD087098653
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.
On March 31, 2020, EPA determined that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control..
Cleanup Background
Kinder Morgan submitted a Site Characterization Report to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and EPA in July 2013. There are currently 56 monitoring wells, 16 soil vapor extraction (SVE) wells, 11 temporary points and 13 air sparging (AS wells) at the facility. Several compounds including benzene, cumene, Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), chrysene and naphthalene have been detected at concentrations above PADEP’s groundwater medium specific concentrations (MSCs). BTEX-related compounds have been detected in groundwater north of the site as far as Bath Street and south of the site in the area of the AS/SVE system along Delaware Avenue at concentrations in excess of their respective MSCs.
Kinder Morgan continues to monitor groundwater on a quarterly basis. Fate and Transport Modelling will be conducted to evaluate the potential for migration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the aquifer to off-site sensitive receptors. Kinder Morgan plans to also conduct a Risk Assessment to identify any potential current and future exposure pathways for human receptors. EPA expects to see the results of these studies in mid-2014.
Cleanup Background
Although historically there have been several product spills at the facility, the most recent occurring on April 3, 2012, when approximately 100 gallons of fuel-grade ethanol was released due to a check-valve failure on a thermal expansion line in Storage Area A-2 near Tanks 209 and 213.
One release of note occurred on October 29, 2007, when fuel-grade ethanol leaked from an underground pipeline that was used to transfer ethanol between the terminal and the dock. Kinder Morgan installed 17 soil borings and four monitoring wells in November 2007 to assess the magnitude of the release. An AS/SVE system was installed on the Philadelphia River Port Authority property across Delaware Avenue from the facility and began operating on April 2, 2010. The AS/SVE system is designed to reduce dissolved and adsorbed-phase ethanol and BTEX constituents in the area surrounding the October 2007 release. Operation of the vapor recovery system is ongoing. Kinder Morgan continues to monitor several small areas of groundwater contamination throughout the site.
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 Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals (formerly Unitank Terminal Service) site is a tank farm that occupies 35 acres of land and includes 107 aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) ranging in size from 2,500 to 1,680,000 gallons. The contents of the tanks vary over time. Kinder Morgan maintains a current listing of each tank’s contents on-site. Kinder Morgan does not currently store hazardous waste in any of the tanks at the property. Any containerized hazardous waste is stored on site for less than 90 days.
Like its predecessors, Kinder Morgan receives bulk liquids at its facility mainly by cargo ship, but also accepts rail car and truck shipments. Kinder Morgan leases two pier berths on the Delaware River from the City of Philadelphia. Bulk liquids are transferred to the southern pier via above ground manifolds and then transferred through underground piping to areas near the storage tanks. Bulk liquids are transferred to the northern pier via a similar manifold system and run aboveground crossing over Delaware Avenue and then discharging into product tanks. Materials delivered by rail car and truck are transferred directly into various on-site storage tanks.
Contaminants at this Facility
Several compounds including benzene, cumene, MTBE, chrysene and naphthalene have been detected at concentrations above PADEP’s groundwater medium specific concentrations (MSCs) and , Xylenes (BTEX-related) compounds have been detected in groundwater.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The 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: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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.