EPA RCRA ID: PAD003038056
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.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made a determination that Monitored Natural Attenuation with Institutional Controls will be the Final Remedy required for the E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company facility located at Patterson Boulevard, Towanda, Pennsylvania (the Facility or DuPont). This is based on our findings as described in the Statement of Basis (SB). In conjunction with the SB, EPA issued a draft Permit Modification under which EPA proposed to implement the Final Remedy.
A notice was published in The Daily Review newspaper on August 11, 2008, detailing the proposed agency decision. Appropriate contacts were provided to receive public comments. EPA received two comments from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on September 24, 2008, with amendments provided November 13, 2008, on the proposed decision. Based on the comments provided, the amended comments provided, and the fact that EPA received no other comments from any other source, the remedy proposed was unchanged, and, therefore, selected as the Final Remedy for the Facility.
In 2018, DuPont submitted a request to terminate the Permit Modification on the grounds that the requirements of the Permit Modification were satisfied. Included with the request was a Post-Remedial Care Plan proposed to be implemented to satisfy the Final Remedy expectations and assure long-term protection of human health and the environment.
On September 27, 2018, 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.
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 DuPont facility is located on New James Street and Patterson Boulevard in North Towanda Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The DuPont plant occupies a 51-acre parcel of land the northern side of Towanda, Pennsylvania and borders Sugar Creek. This Facility has been operation since the early 1940s and is a manufacturing site for X-ray screens, coated films, and wet-processing solutions.
In these processes DuPont used various chlorinated solvents and methylene chloride. These substances have been found in the groundwater. The Facility is currently under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit for the storage of hazardous waste and a Corrective Action Permit to investigate and define contamination. On the basis of this investigation DuPont has found groundwater contamination in two areas. In one area the groundwater is contaminated with methylene chloride, possible from a storage tank which has been removed. In 1994, DuPont found methylene chloride contaminated groundwater seeping into Sugar Creek and quickly built a system to intercept and treat it. From 1995 to 1996, DuPont recovered 190 pounds of methylene chloride by pumping contaminated groundwater from this area and sending it to the on-site methylene chloride recovery system. In late 1996, DuPont stopped using methylene chloride in their manufacturing processes. Since that time, DuPont shut down the recovery system and is monitoring the contaminated groundwater. The contamination remains on-site and is not spreading.
In the second location, DuPont has been and continues to monitor groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents and their breakdown products. The presence of breakdown products shows that natural processes are degrading the solvents. In neither case, is the contamination moving off-site nor posing a threat to human health or the environment.
The groundwater in both areas is closely monitored and is contained on-site. The groundwater does not pose a risk because the groundwater is not used for drinking water and geologic conditions are preventing the plume from expanding. There is also evidence that the plume is degrading due to the action of naturally occurring microbes.
EPA recently worked with DuPont to resolve issues that rose from a PADEP review of the site regarding site characterization. The focus was on verifying that TCE is not migrating from MW-08 in the "Glacial Till" into the "Silt and Sand" aquifer which is used as part of the regional water supply.
DuPont installed two wells to monitor the lower aquifer in the vicinity of MW-08, as requested by EPA. Upon well completion, samples were taken to determine if the capture zone of the pumping well, SW-04, is sufficient to intercept any contamination possibly migrating from the "Glacial Till" layer where MW-08 is located, to verify pathway elimination by the pumping well, and to obtain TCE concentrations in this lower aquifer. Sampling data was finalized and incorporated into the 2nd Half 2006 Interim Remedial Measure Status Report submitted on May 29, 2007. EPA approved the conclusions, including that TCE is not migrating from MW-08 in the "Glacial Till" into the "Silt and Sand" aquifer which is used as part of the regional water supply, on October 11, 2007.
Contaminants at this Facility
The main contaminants in the groundwater are methylene chloride and other chlorinated solvents.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The required Institutional Controls are:
An environmental covenant to be entered pursuant to the Pennsylvania Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, 27 Pa. C.S. Sections 6501-6517, (UECA) and to be recorded with the deed for the Facility property. The Environmental Covenant is required to include the following restrictions:
- A restriction on the use of groundwater beneath the Facility for potable purposes or any other use that could result in human exposure, unless such use is required by the Final Remedy
- A restriction on well drilling at the Facility without prior EPA approval, to prevent inadvertent exposure to the contaminated groundwater and adverse affects to the Final Remedy
In the event DuPont intends to sell part or all of the Facility, DuPont will notify EPA and demonstrate that the prospective purchaser is aware of the restrictions described in paragraphs above.
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.