Wade dump
Encyclopedia
Wade Dump is a once-polluted Superfund
cleanup site in Chester, Pennsylvania
. Located on the western bank of the Delaware River
under the Commodore Barry Bridge
, the three-acre site once served as a rubber recycling facility and an illegal industrial waste storage and disposal facility.
The site was cleaned up in several stages, then removed from the National Priorities List in 1989. In 2004, it was turned into a parking lot for the city's Barry Bridge Park with EPA and state approval.
salts, and other toxic chemicals.
In 1978, an intense fire at the site destroyed one building and damaged to two others where drums of waste were stored. Local hospitals treated 47 firefighters for injuries sustained during the fire.
At the time, an estimated 3,000,000 gallons of waste chemicals were stored in and around the buildings. About 150,000 gallons of waste materials remained on site after the fire, along with burned building debris, exploded drums, tires, shredded rubber, and contaminated earth.
The dumping and the fire contaminated groundwater and soil with PCBs; plastic resins; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and heavy metals, including arsenic
, chromium
, mercury
, and lead
. The toxins threatened area residents and workers, surrounding wetlands, wildlife, and marine animals.
In 1984, a long-term cleanup plan was developed for the site cleanup which was to be managed by PA DER. The work took place in 1987. Tires, tankers, debris piles, and buildings were removed, decontaminated, and disposed of. Contaminated soil was removed to depths with acceptable levels of contamination or to the level of the water table. The site was leveled, filled, and graded, then covered with topsoil and seeded to minimize erosion. EPA, in conjunction with the state, deleted the site from the National Priorities List in 1989.
In 2004, with EPA and state approval, the site was given drainpipes to clear stormwater and paved with asphalt to create a parking lot for the city's Barry Bridge Park.
In 1993 and 1999, five-year reviews concluded that the site is not a danger to human health or the environment. A third five-year review in 2004 concluded that the paving and drainage better protected human health and the environment.
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
cleanup site in Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
. Located on the western bank of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
under the Commodore Barry Bridge
Commodore Barry Bridge
The Commodore Barry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, in Logan Township, New Jersey, USA...
, the three-acre site once served as a rubber recycling facility and an illegal industrial waste storage and disposal facility.
The site was cleaned up in several stages, then removed from the National Priorities List in 1989. In 2004, it was turned into a parking lot for the city's Barry Bridge Park with EPA and state approval.
Contamination
From about 1950 to the early 1970s, the site hosted Eastern Rubber Reclaiming, a rubber recycling facility. The site later became an illegal industrial waste storage and disposal facility, and operated until 1978. Workers stored drums on site, or dumped their contents onto the ground or into various trenches, severely contaminating soil and ground water. Some of the wastes included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), acids, cyanideCyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
salts, and other toxic chemicals.
In 1978, an intense fire at the site destroyed one building and damaged to two others where drums of waste were stored. Local hospitals treated 47 firefighters for injuries sustained during the fire.
At the time, an estimated 3,000,000 gallons of waste chemicals were stored in and around the buildings. About 150,000 gallons of waste materials remained on site after the fire, along with burned building debris, exploded drums, tires, shredded rubber, and contaminated earth.
The dumping and the fire contaminated groundwater and soil with PCBs; plastic resins; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and heavy metals, including arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
. The toxins threatened area residents and workers, surrounding wetlands, wildlife, and marine animals.
Cleanup
In late 1981 and early 1982, the EPA conducted two emergency cleanups in which workers removed an estimated 5,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated waste, 10,000 gallons of other hazardous wastes for incineration and 155 tons of contaminated solids.In 1984, a long-term cleanup plan was developed for the site cleanup which was to be managed by PA DER. The work took place in 1987. Tires, tankers, debris piles, and buildings were removed, decontaminated, and disposed of. Contaminated soil was removed to depths with acceptable levels of contamination or to the level of the water table. The site was leveled, filled, and graded, then covered with topsoil and seeded to minimize erosion. EPA, in conjunction with the state, deleted the site from the National Priorities List in 1989.
In 2004, with EPA and state approval, the site was given drainpipes to clear stormwater and paved with asphalt to create a parking lot for the city's Barry Bridge Park.
In 1993 and 1999, five-year reviews concluded that the site is not a danger to human health or the environment. A third five-year review in 2004 concluded that the paving and drainage better protected human health and the environment.